The Scoobies in a Marvel World
by lateVMlover
Summary: This is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer Crossover that takes place 5 years after season 7. The Buffy comics do not exist in my world. Buffy, Willow, Dawn, and Xander are in New York. They were there when the Avengers fought off an alien invasion. Now they are finding themselves drawn in the Tony Stark's world. This story will have romance but will start off with fun and adventure.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm in love with the idea of Buffy crossing over into the _Vampire Diaries_ world. Then I saw people were writing her in the Marvel world, and the idea made me grin. I'm not an expert on comics since I don't read them, but I adore all superhero movies. This idea came to me, and I thought I'd share. This story will continue after _Iron Man 3_ even though I don't planning on getting much into Pepper's exposure to Extremis. It's useful to have seen Iron Man 3, but I don't think essential.**

** I hope you like my first chapter!**

Chapter 1: The Interview

_******New York******_

Willow sat anxiously in the coffee shop sipping her latte. This was the first real job interview she'd ever had, and it was so unbelievable that she was trying not to pass out. It'd been five years since the hellmouth in Sunnydale had closed. Since then, she'd worked some with Buffy and Giles in gathering and helping all the newly called slayers. After three years, it seemed the newly formed Watcher's Council had things well in hand. She'd managed to finish her degree at Oxford while she was in England. Then she'd come back to the States to get her graduate degree at Columbia. Xander, Buffy, and Dawn had been dying to be back in the U.S. and had begged her to try a school in New York. Dawn and Buffy had both started classes at NYU while Xander had snagged a job building things for Stark Industry. It was great to focus on normal things for once and not the constant stress of saving the world.

When Xander had suggested Willow apply for a position in their robotics division, she'd laughed. However, he'd been serious. Tony had recently revealed to the world that he was a bona fide superhero, so Xander thought that it was kismet that his company employ the semi-retired Scoobies. Now there was an entire league of them around. The Scoobies could try to be normal for a change. Buffy had an interview scheduled next week at Stark's. Willow had been more than surprised when Pepper Potts, the CEO, had called to schedule a personal interview. Normally, human resources did an initial interview and often the hiring. That was how it had been with Xander.

Buffy had been unable to resist slipping into the cafe where Willow's interview was going to be held. She'd thought it a bit strange that the CEO of such a huge corporation had both wanted to personally interview Willow and had suggested a place not on Stark's property. Then again, Buffy mused, they may own the coffee shop since it was just across the street. Buffy was excited for Willow, though, and hoped she'd land the job she was dying to have.

It had been great to see Willow become passionate again about something besides magic. After their initial year of collecting the newly called slayers, Willow had started talking about going back to school. Her relationship with Kennedy-much to Buffy's relief-had fallen apart. There were so many slayers now that Willow didn't feel her particular expertise was needed as much. Buffy had been too busy to join her-not that she'd ever get into Oxford with her spotty academic history. When Willow had gotten the first recruitment letter from Columbia, Xander and Dawn had latched on to the idea of going back home to America. Buffy wanted Dawn to have a normal life again, so she had agreed. Dawn had decided to start classes at NYU and convinced Buffy to go back to school. Somehow Buffy had managed to get a history degree. It wasn't something she could use for anything career wise because she had no desire for more schooling. Finishing the degree had been something she felt she needed to do. Her mom would've been so proud. Giles had been. He had flown in for graduation last spring, leaving Faith in charge back in England.

Faith had surprised Buffy by stepping up in ways Buffy had never thought she was capable of. She'd taken a backseat to Buffy in the beginning when they went to Europe. Then when Buffy wanted her to do more, she'd stepped up. Faith had been serious about being a better friend and slayer. Finally, they had become real friends. It'd been Faith who'd first supported her desire to leave the Council and come back to the United States. She'd done enough, Faith said. Now it was time for Faith to earn back some redemption. Faith was currently in Ohio where half of the newly acquired slayers had gathered. The hellmouth there was gearing up to be a hand full. Buffy was confident that Faith and the girls could handle it without her, however.

The very attractive Pepper Potts entered the coffee shop. Buffy had found a table behind Willow, so that her presence wouldn't distracted Will. She'd brought a book, so she could pretend to read. Buffy so wanted this job for Willow. She'd lost so much and sacrificed everything in Buffy's fight. She wanted Willow to have everything she desired. Willow deserved this.

Willow stood and waved when she recognized the famous CEO and fellow redhead enter the coffee shop. Buffy thought she'd been clever sneaking in the side door and sitting at a table behind Willow, but Will had known she was there the moment she came in. She'd spent so many years surrounded by slayer energy that its presence was always tangible to Willow. Buffy thought it was her witch power that kept Buffy from ever being able to sneak up on her. Buffy didn't seem to get that the atmosphere of every room was changed as soon as she walked into it. Sunnydale had so much mystical energy that the residents never picked up as much on Buffy's presence. However, when they'd moved away, Willow had easily began to sense the difference when Buffy and Faith were around. The arrival of more and more slayers had only increased the presence of power.

"Willow Rosenberg?" Pepper asked. Willow nodded and returned Pepper's smile as she sat down across from Willow. "I'm so sorry I'm late. Tony has trouble letting me out of his sight these days."

"It's understandable," Willow said. And it was. Willow and her friends had known that aliens had to exist in other realms when one had come to Sunnydale to clean up Glory's mess of crazies. They hadn't been particularly surprised when an invasion had occurred in New York. The Chitauri Army had used the tesseract to open a portal. Tony Stark had nearly died closing it. Buffy had spent her energy killing some that had escaped the initial showdown. Luckily, she'd managed to do it under the radar. Then a new threat had popped up that had almost killed Pepper and left Tony presumed dead for a time.

"Is he really giving up his suit?" Willow couldn't resist asking. Xander had been majorly geeked out when his new boss had revealed he was a superhero. Willow had fallen a bit in love herself to discover another person was using their brain power and not some mystical empowerment to make a difference. Tony had quit his playboy ways when he'd fallen in love with Pepper. He'd entrusted her with his company, quit making nuclear bombs and weaponry, and spent his energy with his Iron Man suits and his renewal energy projects. Then after the alien invasion he'd gone a bit off the rails, pissed off some nut job, had his house blown up, and nearly gotten Pepper killed more than once. It had spurred him to destroy his suits. He was completely unpredictable and utterly fascinating.

Pepper shrugged. "Well, he got the shrapnel removed finally from his chest, so he doesn't need the magnet there. He can wear a suit if he wants, but he says he doesn't need the suit anymore. He is Iron Man," she shared with a chuckle. "The reason I'm interviewing you is because no one knows Tony better than I do. The position would require you to work closely with him, and that isn't easy to do. He's got the attention span of a child, the manners of a teenage boy, and the mind of Einstein. He can go days without much sleep or food if he's immersed on a project. He never forgets anything and absorbs knowledge like a sponge. He doesn't suffer fools or deal well with people he feels can't keep up."

Willow grinned as Potts recited Tony Spark's flaws and gifts. Between Faith, Buffy, and Xander, Willow thought she'd be able to more than manage to deal with Tony's little quirks. She felt exhilarated just listening to Potts.

"Tony has decided that he wants to start a real robotics division. He's been using robots as his personal toys for years, but he's never tried to make them a commercial success. Now that he's decided to quit tinkering with his suits, it's his new obsession. When Tony's obsessed, there's no stopping him," Pepper shared.

"I've had some experience tinkering with robots myself," Willow said with a smile as she recalled the Buffy-bot.

Pepper opened up the folder she'd brought. "You double majored in computer science and electrical engineering in Oxford after starting at a small college in California?"

"Yeah, the school and town was destroyed in the earthquake. Our mentor was from England, so we followed him there afterwards," Willow said.

"I hope your family is okay," Pepper said.

"Yes, there were clear signs of something bad about to happen. Most of the town was deserted when the earthquake hit," Willow explained. Even the people of Sunnydale could no longer pretend what was happening in the town was normal those last months.

"You did your master thesis on robotics. What made you interested in that field?" Pepper asked.

Willow explained meeting a guy who'd made a sex-bot, and Pepper laughed. "You're joking?"

"Nope. It was further proof that I was right to give up guys. There were two that were made to look extremely human. One was made for this perv that had a thing for my best friend. Somehow I ended up fixing it when it broke down," Willow admitted.

"Why would you do that?"

"Well, our town had a nasty gang problem. The robot was very strong and programmed to fight. My friends and I used it some to fight off the bad guys," Willow said. Buffy and she had decided to keep things as truthful as possible without revealing the supernatural components. With the changes in the world now, they felt Stark's would be a bit more open than some. However, it was best not to test the theory so soon.

Pepper looked impressed. Then she looked down at the file again. "You don't have any prior job experience, right?"

"Well, I helped my friend at his magic shop selling stuff, but I did that voluntarily. I've been focused mostly on my education," Willow admitted. "Is that a problem?" She suddenly felt anxious and inadequate.

Pepper shook her head. "No, it's not. Tony actually prefers people with no experience. He says he doesn't have to break them of any bad habits. He likes people moldable. Do you consider yourself that?" Pepper asked.

Willow nodded eagerly. "Absolutely! I love learning new things and would be completely devoted to my job. I'm single and gay, so I don't expect to be having children any time soon," Willow shared. If the company was homophobic, it was best to find out now.

"So you'd be immuned to Tony's natural charm and charisma and won't fall in love with him and quit after he breaks your heart?" Pepper asked with a smile, only half-joking.

Willow's eyes widened in surprise at the question. "Does that happen?" she asked.

Pepper nodded and sighed. "Too damn much. He either offends and pisses people off or he charms them utterly. Both cause lawsuits. Believe me, your sexual orientation has now moved you to the top of the list!"

"That's gotta be a first!" Willow said with a laugh.

Pepper grinned and Willow fell just a tiny bit in love. Not really, but it was so great to talk to one of her heroes. Pepper, like Willow, knew what it was like to constantly be in the shadow of greatness. Yet she'd managed to carve out a place for herself next to him and not behind him. She and Pepper had so much in common, it seemed to Willow.

"Well, I need to talk to Tony and schedule a time you can meet him for a second interview," Pepper said. She always said that even though Tony always trusted her choices. The meeting would just be a formality. It saved Pepper the headache that would come later if Tony had an instant dislike to her choice. "He's partial to redheads, so your chances are good."

Willow laughed again, feeling amazing that her first interview was going so well. Pepper got to her feet and shook Willow's hand. When she walked out of the cafe, Willow turned to Buffy with a happy grin.

Buffy got up. "So you knew I was here?" she asked.

"Of course! I always know when you're in a room," Willow said.

"Let's go find Xander. He's working at the building next door, so you can tell us both about it," Buffy suggested. The coffee house was across the street from Stark Industry, who owned several buildings on the block. When they got outside, they heard a scream from the alley next door.

Both ladies ran to the alley. Willow was dismayed to see three guys manhandling Pepper Potts. One was trying to take her purse from her, and the other had his arm around her throat with a knife against it.

It never occurred to either women to call the police. Instead, Buffy and Willow hurried toward the danger.

"Look at this, Will. Three against one. Maybe we should even the odds," Buffy said with an eager grin.

Willow laughed. They didn't spend as much time killing demons anymore, but New York had a lot of dumb criminals Buffy got to slap around occasionally. "I don't know. I just got my nails done," she joked.

Pepper looked in concern at the two ladies. "Go get the police!" she ordered.

"Sorry. That's not our style," Buffy said as she grabbed the closest guy whose back was toward her and threw him hard against the nearby wall.

Pepper's eyes widened in surprise. Then she wondered if Willow had designed her own personal bodyguard. She was so getting the job!

"You're going to get your friend killed!" the guy holding the knife yelled, causing Pepper to cry out as the knife pressed into her throat.

Willow chanted a spell and held out her hand. The knife disappeared and reappeared in her hand. "Oh, this little thing? I think it's better off in my hand," Willow said casually.

Pepper had trouble believing what she'd saw. The girl hadn't used telepathy since the knife had disappeared and reappeared. But she had teleported it. The guy kept Pepper in a headlock, so she couldn't get away. She saw the small blonde woman exchange blows with the second guy. It wasn't long before the man was knocked out and fell to the ground.

Buffy looked at the remaining guy. "You should never assume that female equals weak," she told the guy still holding Pepper. Pepper realized the woman had a point. She stomped down hard on the guy's foot and elbowed him as hard as she could in the stomach, causing him to gasp. She stepped away and turned to see Happy running across the street. Pepper moved away as Happy pulled out his stun gun and electrocuted the guy unconscious.

"Are you okay?" Happy asked, gasping for breath after his run. His security team had alerted him to an altercation the cameras had picked up. When they spotted Pepper, he'd ran to help, praying he wasn't too late. Tony would kill him if anything happened to her. Not to mention he'd be heartbroken himself.

"I am. Thanks to these two ladies," Pepper said, gesturing to Buffy and Willow.

Willow gave her a nervous smile and hoped that Pepper was as cool about the witch thing as she was the lesbian thing.

A short time later, the two women were ushered up to Tony Stark's office. He had Pepper on a small sofa being checked over by a doctor. "I'm fine, Tony. I told you!" she exclaimed in exasperation.

"Why then do I see a cut on your throat? _YOUR THROAT_!" Tony shouted. "Someone had a knife to your throat!" The man was obviously freaked out and very, very angry.

"And Happy has them in custody. It's just a nick," she assured him.

Tony took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He'd barely recovered from his battle with Killian, who'd nearly killed Pepper. He still had nightmares. Now a simple mugging had almost taken her from him. "What were you doing going anywhere without Happy? Weren't you the one who said security was needed? You said even I needed a team?"

"I just went across the street. The guard watched me go and said he'd be watching. I didn't think anything about it," Pepper admitted. "When I came out of the coffee shop, a guy came up to me and pushed me so fast into the alley, I didn't even have time to scream."

"Their head of security is named Happy?" Buffy whispered to Willow. Willow ssh'd her.

Tony gave the women a sharp look. His penetrating eyes studied them. Buffy was unused to being on the receiving end of such a look and tried not to squirm.

"You saved Pepper. Ask me for anything in this world and maybe even a few others, and I will find a way to get it to you," he vowed, meaning every word. Pepper had become his everything. She'd always been the only one who never left him, who'd love him and cared for him. When he'd finally saw her as a woman, his life had changed forever. He could handle a lot of thing. However, he knew that wouldn't survive her loss.

Willow's mouth fell open a bit at his offer. In a panic, she gave Pepper a beseeching glance.

Pepper got to her feet. "Tony, this is Willow Rosenberg. I was just interviewing her for a position in your new robotics division," Pepper said.

"You're hired," Tony said simply. "You can begin interviewing your staff immediately."

Willow's head started buzzing at his words. Surely, he wasn't putting her in charge? "What? My staff? You're kidding, right?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"You're the Willow Rosenburg who graduated from Sunnydale High School, a school that mysteriously blew up at your graduation ceremony. You scored off the charts in every aptitude test you ever took, especially in science and math. Computers are your thing, but you've turned your attention to robotics," Tony recited from memory.

Willow was flabbergasted that Tony Spark knew so much about her. She looked at Buffy, who looked impressed and amused. "You can do it, Will. You can do anything," Buffy assured her.

Tony's attention turned to her. He glanced at Pepper, who ventured to ask, "Is this your security robot?"

Buffy couldn't contain her laughter at that suggestion. "Well, been there and done that. But no. I'm not a robot," Buffy said. "I'm Buffy Summers, Willow's best friend."

Willow answered Pepper's unspoken question. "Yes, this is the friend who did have a robot replica made of her. But the Buffy-bot got destroyed by a motorcycle gang," Willow admitted. No need to mention that the gang members were demons.

"You made a human robot?" Tony asked impressed.

"No, this guy we went to school with did. I just maintained it and fixed it a lot," Willow admitted.

"Find that guy and hire him," Tony ordered. He took a step back when Willow's eyes turned black at the thought of Warren being alive and given a job next to her.

Buffy grabbed her hand. "Will," she admonished softly.

"The sick bastard is dead," Willow said grimly. She took a deep, calming breathe. Her eyes went back to normal.

Tony looked at Pepper; once again communicating without words. "I won't ask what happened," Tony said. "At least not yet." He looked back at Buffy. Her name was familiar. "Buffy Summers. Why do I know your name?"

"Well, I did apply for a position in your security department. I have an interview next week," Buffy admitted.

Tony looked at Pepper. "She fought off two men very effortlessly," she shared.

"I know better than anyone that appearances can be deceiving," Tony said. "Do you know Natasha?"

Buffy shook her head, assuming correctly he was referring to the lone female that was sighted on camera as fighting with Tony and his Avenger friends as they fought off the alien invasion. Buffy didn't know if Natasha was a slayer. It hadn't been confirmed. Giles had said the lone woman had too long of a documented history as a government agent to be one, though.

"Are you human?" Pepper asked Willow.

"Why would you ask that?" Tony wondered with a frown. Chagning eye colors didn't necessarily signify extra-terrestrial.

"She used magic of some kind to take the knife from the man. It was against my neck. Then it was in her hand," Pepper said, looking at Tony.

"Well, I'm sort of a practicing witch. But I'm 100% human," Willow admitted.

"She's an extremely powerful witch," Buffy said proudly.

"Are you one, too?" Pepper asked.

Buffy shook her head. "I've just had a lot of training," she said. Giles had some friends fabricate real martial arts training that would explain her skills. She didn't think Tony knowing she was superhuman would be a big deal, but Giles worried about S.H.I.E.L.D. getting its hands on her or any of the slayers. After the initiative, they were all wary of government agencies and their agendas.

"Magic? It does not exist in this world," Tony said firmly. "If you were Asgardian, I'd buy it. But you were born on earth, right?"

"Yes, I'm an earthling," Willow said with a smile. She wasn't going to argue with her new employer.

He dismissed her and looked again at Buffy. "So Buffy Summers, you don't have to go to your interview next week. You're hired," Tony said. He looked at Pepper. "What position was she being interviewed for exactly?"

"As your personal bodyguard. Happy can't take the stress and none of our current employees in his department applied for the job. They know better. Since you gave up the suit, you are vulnerable," Pepper said.

"Why can't I just have Banner as my personal bodyguard?" Tony asked with a mischievous grin.

"Because the collateral damage that would occur every time the Hulk made an appearance would be a nightmare. Not to mention a PR nightmare," Pepper said, shuddering at the thought. She looked at Buffy who seemed unimpressed with the things they were talking about. There was something about her. "How about we take you on a trial basis? If working so closely with Tony is too much, you come to me, and I'll find another position in the company. No questions asked."

"I'm not that bad," Tony said defensively.

"Yes, you are," Pepper said with a fond look.

Tony sighed. "Yeah, I guess I am," he admitted. He gave Buffy a probing look. "Do you think you can handle working with a demanding and temperamental boss?"

Buffy grinned. "Oh, I think I can manage," she said confidently.

"Ladies, I can't think you enough for your assistance today," Pepper said, holding out her hand to both of them. "If you will go down to the second floor to HR, they can begin the paper work. I will find you and talk salaries."

"Anything you want," Tony said breezily.

"No, Tony. We have specific guidelines to follow," Pepper said pointedly.

"Add 10% at least. They saved your life. They deserve more. Give them company cars and an expense card," Tony added. Money was nothing to him.

Buffy and Willow's eyes widened at his words. Neither had expected so much. They both had saved countless lives in the past decade, yet no one had ever really offered a monetary reward. Once Anya had suggested Buffy start charging for her services, and Buffy had been horrified at the suggestion. If Anya could see them now, she'd be very impressed.

"Not necessary," Buffy said quickly. Willow echoed her words.

"You'll earn it working with Tony," Pepper assured them. "When you're done, come back up to my offices, and I'll go over more specifics."

In a daze, the two women left his office to follow Pepper's instructions.

As soon as they left, Pepper looked at Tony and said, "They are not normal. The girl really is a witch. I saw it with my own two eyes. It was not a trick. She teleported a knife."

Tony frowned, his mind struggling to accept the implications. "Her eyes did turn completely black for a minute there," he said recalling.

"Not only that, Tony, but you should've seen them. They were completely unafraid of the _three_ muggers!" Pepper shared. "They made jokes. Willow stood and watched as Buffy took care of the men, not surprised by Buffy's strength or skill. One guy had to have been a hundred pounds heavier than her, but she still threw him like he weighed nothing!"

"Really?" Tony said, intrigued.

"Could you not sense there was something different about her?" Pepper asked.

"She's small, blonde, and beautiful," he said with a shrug. "You know other women barely register to me when you're in the room."

She rolled her eyes, doubting that. The man noticed everything. "That wasn't what I meant. She's different."

"Maybe she's a master assassin like the Black Widow," Tony suggested.

"I don't know. You can have your friends check her out," Pepper suggested.

"I can check her out myself," Tony said. "It'll be fun."

"The secret spy club doesn't advertise on the web. Call Natasha," Pepper advised.

"So were you going to hire Willow before she helped you?" Tony asked.

Pepper nodded. "Yes. She's brilliant and will be immune to your charms," Pepper said with a sly grin.

"What? Not possible!" he protested.

"She's not into men," Pepper said.

Tony grinned. "Really? Do you think the two of them are lovers?" he asked eagerly.

Pepper rolled her eyes. Guys were so predictable when it came to some things. "No. They didn't give off lover like vibes. Willow called her best friend, not lover. She was open about her orientation, so I think she would've said if that was the case," Pepper said.

"What about Buffy? Are you worried she'll fall for me?" Tony asked, laughter in his eyes.

"That'll be your problem. Don't go enticing women that can kick your ass. You may not like what happens," Pepper said with a smile.

"You're supposed to defend my honor," Tony said, grabbing her and pulling her against him.

"I don't have time for that," she said, trying and failing to look stern. He was incorrigible, but he was hers. There was no one else on earth like him.

He kissed her, and she melted against him. Then he put his forehead against hers, looking at her. "Please don't get yourself killed," he begged softly. "I couldn't survive your loss. It'd be the one thing that'd defeat me."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. And she was. She never dreamed a mugger would dare attack her. Most in the city knew she was Iron Man's girlfriend. "I will be more careful."

"You better," Tony said sternly. Pepper stepped away. She smiled as she heard Tony say, "JARVIS, find out everything you can on Buffy Summers and Sunnydale, California."

If the new bodyguard had any secrets, Tony would find them. Tony didn't notice her leaving, his mind already miles away. His dismissal never bothered her. She understood her man. More importantly, she accepted him. She hoped the two new hires would be as understanding.

******_Chapter End******_

_Well, what do you think? Hit review and tell me! _


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for all that took time to review! I really appreciate it! For someone who wondered, yes, Xander will have a big role in this tale. It will be more evident in the next chapter.**

**I hope it won't disappoint too much to know that since I don't read the comics, I won't get into the complicated Extremis stuff with Iron Man or too much into what happened to Pepper in _Iron Man 3_**. **At least not at first. I think merging the two worlds gives enough of a complex and fascinating potential storylines.**

Chapter 2: Testing the New Hires

_******Stark Industries******_

Tony rewatched the Top Secret military video JARVIS had found for him in his search to uncover what secrets his new employees from Sunnydale were hiding. He was still having trouble wrapping his mind around it. Meeting Thor and Loki and stopping an alien invasion had changed his world view quite a bit. However, the possibility of alien life was something all scientist contemplated at one time or another. But this. This was an entire different matter. The file on The Initiative had the United States military experimenting with demons and other supernatural creatures.

Tony sat back in his office chair stunned. He had arrogantly told Willow magic didn't exist naturally on earth. Now he was finding out that the earth had a lot of ancient demons and other creatures. The video wasn't the best quality, but it showed Buffy and a few other humans battling the creatures fearlessly. He didn't know if she was simply gifted like Natasha or if she had some type of super power. However, he was going to find out.

He grinned and rubbed his hands together in anticipation of uncovering the truth. This was going to be fun!

******_Hours Later******_

Buffy and Willow were filling Xander and Dawn in on their whirlwind day.

"So he's, like, telling Pepper to pay us whatever we want," Buffy said with a grin.

"Seriously?" Dawn asked in surprise.

"But Pepper vetoed that," Willow added with a grin.

"She can do that? Isn't Tony, like, the boss?" Dawn asked.

"Well, I don't think it works like that with them. It seemed to me that Pepper was in charge," Willow grinned. "He worships her. It was so cute to see!"

"He did tell her to pay us 10% more than the normal rate for our positions and to give us both company cars and a company credit card," Buffy boasted.

"It's not fair! Why do all the exciting things happened to you guys?" Xander complained.

"So they gave you a car, too?" Dawn inquired in disbelief. "Does that mean I get yours?"

"Well, it means you can drive mine more!" Buffy said with a happy grin. "Look at us, Will! We gotta Skype Giles and tell him our good news. He's not going to believe this!"

"He'll probably lecture you on showing your skills so soon to Pepper," Willow said.

There was a knock on their apartment door. Xander got up to answer it. His mouth fell open in surprise to see the very man they were discussing at his door. "Uh, hi. Mr. Stark, what...I mean, how can I help you?" Xander finally spit out.

Tony's eyes zeroed in on a familiar face. The guy wore an eye patch, but he looked like one of the men in the video he saw fighting demons. Curiouser and curiouser. Always one to love a puzzle, Tony pointed to the eye patch. "Is that an affectation or do you need it?" Tony asked, ignoring the social niceties with his bold question.

"Well, since I got my eye gauged out, yeah, I kind of do," Xander replied dryly. "I guess I could get a glass eye or something."

"How about a robotic one? I'm working on one in my lab, as a matter of fact," Tony said as he stepped through the doorway. His eyes spotted Buffy and Willow. He waved at them. "Sorry to barge in unannounced."

Both women jumped to their feet in surprise. Dawn looked on in fascination. Tony stepped toward her and held out his hand. "You must be Dawn, Buffy's little sister. I'm Tony. It's nice to meet you," Tony said.

Dawn took his hand, surprised by his straightforwardness. "Uh, you, too," she said.

Tony looked at Xander. "Sorry, I should've introduced myself to you first," Tony said apologetically. He held out his hand to Xander.

"Xander Harris," Xander said, feeling awkward. "I..uh..actually, I am one of your employees."

"Really?" Tony said in surprise. "What department?"

"Construction. I work for your construction company," Xander said.

"Well, that's great!" Tony said, smiling. He turned to Buffy and Willow. "I came by to give you your keys to your company cars." He held out two sets of keys. "They're hybrids, so they give good gas mileage. But use your company credit cars for any car related expense as well as all your meals and clothes. Keep the clothes purchases sensible, though. Not that I care. But Pepper gets worked up about those kinds of things. Your cards should be ready by tomorrow."

Dawn couldn't help but laugh at the billionaire playboy turned superhero. Willow was right. Pepper really did call all the shots. Tony turned his too intelligent gaze on her. She gulped nervously.

"So how about you? Do you need a job? I got lots of places you could work," Tony offered.

Buffy finally found her voice and said, "No, she's still in school. She's not done with her degree," Buffy shared.

"When you get ready to do an internship, let me know," Tony said. "Your sister saved Pepper's life. Anything you need, you only have to ask."

Dawn grinned. Buffy gave her a look and turned to Tony. "That's not necessary, I assure you," Buffy said.

"You didn't have to come here to give us this," Willow said, holding up the keys in bemusement. The day still seemed like a dream. She still was having trouble wrapping her mind around the amount of money Pepper said she was going to make. Now this.

"Well, since Buffy here is going to be my personal security guard, I thought we should get to know each other a bit more," Tony explained. "Can I take you guys out for dinner? Have you eaten yet?"

Willow and Buffy exchanged a glance. "I guess that'll be okay," Buffy said slowly. She wasn't quite sure how to take her new bosses interest in her. Something told her that his too penetrating gaze was assessing them all very carefully. "Should we change?"

"Nah. We'll just get some pizza. I know a great place," Tony said. He turned to walk out. Their apartment didn't seem out of the ordinary. No weird voodoo dolls or crosses hanging all over the place. His research into witchcraft had uncovered some weird stuff. He wasn't sure what to believe. However, Tony was determined to uncover every secret his new employees had. He found it interesting that one of their friends or boyfriends was already working for him. Tony was a bit surprised by the guy's career choice, however. Anyone that could fight monsters as a teenager had to be extraordinary in some way. Interesting. Another puzzle. Tony bet the story of how he lost that eye would be equally interesting.

A short time later, he sat at a large round booth. He and Xander both were drinking beers while the ladies drunk sodas. The pizza was hot and delicious as always.

"Tell Hank thanks," Tony said to the waitress.

"Of course, Mr. Stark," the waitress replied with a smile.

Xander was battling his desire to quip with his desire to stay employed. Finally, he couldn't contain himself any longer. "So I'm a bit surprised that a guy with all your bucks would choose a run-of-the-mill pizza place," he said.

Tony took a bite of his pizza. He chewed and swallowed before answering, watching Xander take his own bite. When Xander's eye widened in surprise, Tony grinned. "This is no run-of-the-mill place. The pizza is the best!" Tony said. "I've been trying to get Hank, the owner, to let me buy his place and make chains of it, but he refuses."

"It's so good!" Buffy said in ecstasy.

"You shouldn't have brought me here! I don't have Buffy's metabolism! I'm going to gain so much weight living in this city!" Willow complained.

"Nah. I'll keep you too busy," Tony replied with a smile. He looked at the girls and then Xander. "So which one of the Summer girls are you dating?"

Xander instinctively moved away from Dawn, who he was sitting next to, and gave Buffy a guilty glance before quickly looking away. Tony, of course, noticed. He was surprised, though, when Xander said otherwise. "Neither. I've been best friends with Willow since I was six. Buffy moved to Sunnydale our sophomore year of high school. We're all just close friends," he explained. He tried to ignore Dawn's hurt look, but Tony made a mental note. Looks like a romance was brewing with little sis and the other girls didn't know yet. Tony grinned but said nothing.

"Do you all live together?" Tony asked.

"Xander and I are roommates. We live in the apartment across the hall from Buffy and Dawn. We'd live together if this city wasn't so expensive. A four bedroom anything would be beyond our means," Willow said.

"Not anymore," Buffy said, smiling at their new boss.

"You're a lucky guy," Tony said to Xander.

Xander smiled. "Yeah, I know," he said, giving his girls a fond smile.

"Sunnydale was full of a lot of challenges. It bonded us," Buffy explained.

"The earthquake destroyed the entire town. We were some of the last to escape the place," Willow shared.

Dawn decided to brave a question of her own. "What's it like to fly?" she asked him.

"It's pretty amazing," Tony admitted.

"I heard you gave up your suit. How could you do that?" Dawn wondered. "Doesn't that make you normal now?"

"Am I normal?" Tony asked, smiling.

Dawn blushed in embarrassment. "Well, I mean, you won't have the superpowers," she said.

"I realized that I didn't need the suit anymore. I am Iron Man and Iron Man is me," Tony replied simply. "Most of them were destroyed in my last battle. I'm sure I'll make some more. I can't help making things. It's what I do. I'm making a suit for Pepper right now. I don't want her to be unprotected ever again. I almost lost her recently when someone was trying to hurt me. Today with the mugger was just further proof that she's too vulnerable."

"Sometimes you can't protect those you love no matter how hard you try," Buffy said sagely. "Sometimes death has a way of finding you."

"Our mom died of a brain aneurysm," Dawn explained.

Tony actually knew that since he'd done extensive research on the family. It was a good sign that they weren't trying to be too secretive. "I'm sorry. I lost my father too soon, too. It's not easy," he said. "But sometimes evil finds a way to take those we love before their time. Those kinds of things we can stop. Or die trying."

Buffy looked at Tony and felt a connection. Here was a man who knew about sacrifice and expectation. He refused to do what he was told and forged his own path, defying the government and any who dared to curtail him. This man was truly someone she could admire. Getting to work for him was going to be a real treat.

Tony was determined to learn more about his two new hires and had planned something to find out what they were made of. He wanted to test their response to a sudden threat and had Happy set up a surprise attack when they left the restaurant and were walking to the car. A gang of thugs had been paid to stage a mugging. Tony stood aside to watch as Dawn was grabbed. She let out a predictable scream. However, she stomped hard on the attacker's foot and elbowed him in the side. Tony motioned for her to come to him. He had made it to his limo across the street. Instead of following him, Dawn turned to watch out for her friends.

Buffy had been surprised to be in the middle of a mugging for the second time in one day. The Latino males each carried a knife and demanded their money. Xander laughed. "You chose the wrong group of people, boys," he told them. He reached for Dawn and pulled her back behind him. Buffy easily disarmed two teens while Willow immobilized another with a spell. The other two guys ran off.

"Interesting," Tony said to himself as the boys ran away. All but the one Willow had frozen. Tony crossed the street toward them. "You can let the guy go. They weren't going to really rob you. I just wanted to witness your amazing skills for myself." Pepper had not exaggerated.

Buffy's eyes, though, blazed fire as she stepped toward him. "You put my sister and Xander at risk! Are you insane? They had a knife. Anything could've happened! You had no right to do such a thing!" Buffy exclaimed angrily.

Xander eyed their new boss warily. "Relax, Buff. We're all okay. No harm was done," he said to her.

"You sacrificed your eye, Xander! Never again! You've given up enough!" Buffy said to him.

Tony found her remark very curious. "What do you mean he sacrificed an eye?" he asked.

"He was trying to fight my battle. Someone I pissed off took his eye to punish me," Buffy shared grimly. Caleb had done so with joy in his heart. That had been one of the worst days of her life. The guilt she felt every time she looked at Xander could never be completely abated.

"That's awful!" Tony said with sympathy. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. But Pepper said you and Willow were amazing. I had trouble believing in the magic claim. The scientist in my wanted to see for myself. It was just a little test."

"You could've just asked," Willow admonished. "I would've given you a demonstration. A test that endangered Dawn wasn't necessary." She waved her hand and released the teen who ran off in terror.

"I guess I could've, but I wasn't sure if your powers were like my friend Bruce's, whose powers only come out when he's in distress," Tony said.

"Well, I don't have any superpowers," Xander said. "I wish I did. Maybe I'd still have my eye."

"Come to my lab tomorrow," Tony said to him. "I want to show you what I'm working on. I wasn't kidding when I said I could give you back your eye. It won't be quite the same thing. It'd be so much better."

"Uh, I have to work at the site tomorrow," Xander said, looking unsure.

"Tell your foreman I need you for a special project. I'll have my secretary call him and verify when you come in and give her your supervisor's name," Tony said.

"Okay," Xander said in bemusement. The man was like a whirlwind, changing everything in his path.

Later, after he'd taken them back to their apartment building, they discussed the evening.

"He has to be the sexiest and coolest boss ever!" Dawn gushed.

"I have a small man crush myself," Xander admitted with a grin.

"He's too smart for his own good," Buffy said with a frown. "He was watching us a little too closely. At this rate, he's going to find out I'm a slayer by the end of the week!"

"What's the big deal? He seemed okay with me being a witch. He's not one of those guys who doesn't like strong women," Willow pointed. "You saw him with Pepper."

"Not to mention, he's very grateful for what you did," Dawn said.

"I hope you're right," Buffy said. She had her reservations. However, she knew they'd never get a chance like this again. Tomorrow, she'd start her new job and test the waters. Hopefully, she wouldn't regret taking the job.

Driving back to his place, Tony asked JARVIS if he'd gotten the video.

"Of course, sir," JARVIS replied. It appeared on the screen in the back of the limo.

Tony had seen the events first hand, but he had wanted a recording to analyze. None of the four seemed truly frightened of the sudden attack. Even the little sister who had screamed wasn't experiencing true terror. His one-eyed employee, Xander, seemed to relish the violence that was about to unfold and stood guard in front of Dawn, calling out words of encouragement to his friends. Violence was obviously something he was used to confronting. The crime stats Tony had read about their home town was a bit alarming. There was a steady number of deaths and violent attacks all the years the three had been at school in Sunnydale. Tony, of course, didn't believe the official reports that were constantly blaming things on a growing drug and gang problem. Too many eye witness reports of their high school graduation turning into a massacre had leaked out. A few had even claimed the town's mayor had turned into a giant snake and ate the principal. Of course that was ludicrous. But it was obvious the town was hiding something. It wasn't quite normal.

Tony didn't know what was true and what was an exaggeration. However, he knew that Buffy and Willow had extraordinary gifts. Buffy could handle herself in a fight without losing control. She'd disarmed the teens without causing them serious injury. Tony couldn't help but wonder how she'd respond to a real threat. Fascinated by his discoveries, Tony looked forward to unraveling more of his new puzzle. Tomorrow, he'd have Xander in is lab. Maybe Xander would reveal something that would shed some light onto what secrets Buffy Summers held.

******_Chapter End******_

_I know this chapter was a bit short, but I wanted to share it! I have more written and will post again soon! Please review and let me know what you think!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for your response to this story. I have some fun things planned. There will be some romance, too, eventually. To the person who reviewed without logging in and commented on Tony giving up the suit. FYI: That's not my storyline. That's how _Iron Man 3_ ended. I tried to be as noncommittal as I could be. We all know it won't last.**

**I can't promise the next update will be as soon as these last few, but I wanted to share this. I hope you like it!**

Chapter 3: Revelations

******_The Next Day******_

Pepper gave Tony a frustrated look. "What were you thinking, Tony? Anything could've happened? You didn't think Happy would tell me what you did last night?" she asked.

"I'm so going to fire the little traitor!" Tony complained.

"He works for me now, remember? You can't fire him," Pepper reminded him with a smile. "Buffy's sister could've been hurt. She has no training. I did an extensive background check on Buffy and Willow. Willow's parents are college professors. She's an only child. Nothing criminal in her background. Buffy's had some problems, but nothing alarming. She may be unusually strong for a woman, but she's got the training. She had an ex-boyfriend who was Special Forces with the military. He obviously taught her a thing or two."

"Pepper, there's more going on. You saw the video! They were fighting demons! One of them works for Stark Construction. I find it too coincidental," Tony said.

"So you're going to talk him into volunteering for your experimental robotic eye? Are you insane?" Pepper asked incredulously. "It's nowhere near ready for human testing!"

"Any guy who spent his high school years battling monsters is a risk taker," Tony pointed out. "I bet Xander will jump at the chance for what I'm going to offer him. I need a new partner in crime. The government is a little mad at Rhodie for helping me with the Mandarin. They got him working overseas for the foreseeable future. They're trying to keep me from corrupting him further."

"He's a soldier, Tony. You know he can't be a cowboy like you. He has a chain of command he has to follow," Pepper said. "Maybe you should contact Fury about Buffy. She could already be on his radar."

"And if she's not? I don't want him to snatch her away from me," Tony said.

"Just use more finesse. Please?" Pepper asked.

Tony smiled at her. He gave her a light kiss. "I will. These girls are tough, though. I don't think you should worry so much. Their entire home town was destroyed in an earthquake. Buffy said Xander got his eye gauged out by a guy who had it in for her. They aren't going to quit me so easily," Tony said. "Besides, I really do need Willow to run my lab."

"Remember that the next time you try to conduct experiments using them as bait," Pepper admonished with a fond look of exasperation.

Tony grinned unrepentantly. "I gotta go down to the lab. Catch you later," Tony said. He went to the private elevator in his office that went directly down to his lab.

Tony found Buffy and Xander waiting in front of his lab. Xander stood up when he spotted Buffy.

"Glad you both made it," Tony said with an easy smile. "Buffy, Happy wants to meet with you to fill you in on the perimeters of your duties. He was my bodyguard for many years. Don't listen to him when he says it's why he got an ulcer."

"Okay," Buffy said slowly. "Shall I come back down here when I'm done?"

Tony handed her a small tablet. "Ask JARVIS. He'll tell you where I'm at," Tony said.

"Who's that?" Buffy asked, examining the tablet.

"Jarvis stands for Just A Rather Very Intelligent System. I am whatever Tony wants me to be. I take care of him," a voice from the tablet said.

Buffy was so startled she almost dropped the tablet. "Excuse me?"

"JARVIS is my A.I. He runs all my systems," Tony explained. "Think of him as the most efficient secretary ever made or imagined."

"Secretary?" the voice said, a note of offense in his voice.

"Sorry, JARVIS!" Tony said. "You know you are much more than that. I got a schedule to keep. Take care of Buffy." He motioned for Xander to follow.

"Wait!" Buffy called out. Both men stopped and looked at her. She stepped toward Xander. "Don't let our too charismatic and intelligent boss talk you into agreeing to anything experimental!" she ordered Xander. "Not without Will's okay."

"You think I'm charismatic?" Tony asked with a pleased grin.

Buffy rolled her eyes and ignored him. She waited for Xander to nod. "Yes, mother," he said patiently.

Buffy turned and walked off. Tony chuckled. "I thought I had it bad. At least I get to sleep with Pepper. You have two beautiful women telling you what to do and you're not sleeping with either of them?" Tony prodded as he stepped through the secure doors into his lab.

Xander sighed. "Yes, they're the boss of me most of the time. Usually they know best. Experience has taught me to trust them," Xander said.

Tony gave him a curious glance. "That's very trusting of you, especially since Buffy admitted that she's the reason you lost your eye," Tony said.

"Buffy takes too much responsibility for everything," Xander said. "She wasn't responsible for what Caleb did to me. I'm the one who insisted on fighting when I knew I was out of my league. I knew the risks. I always did."

Tony thought his comment was very revealing but refrained from commenting. "It's good to have people you can depend on," Tony said. "I've only recently learned the benefits of working with a team."

"Yeah, I saw," Xander said with a grin. Unlike Xander's, Tony's work with the Avengers had been documented and aired live on television.

Tony found himself liking the young man more and more. He decided to cut through some of the bullshit. He pushed a button and up popped a large TV screen. "I want you to watch something that I find fascinating. I'm hoping you can shed some light on some things for me," Tony said.

Xander nodded and watched the screen. He looked dismayed when he saw the footage of their final battle with Adam and the Initiative. It was clear the facility had been recording him, Buffy, Riley, Giles, and Willow. Even Spike was on the video. He glanced nervously at Tony, who paused the video.

"You can imagine my surprise to uncover an entire undocumented species of sort in your previous home town of Sunnydale, CA. What's even more curious is that you and your friends seem quite prepared to fight such creatures," Tony remarked. "Care to explain?"

Xander sighed. He should've known his boss's offer to give him back his eye was both too good to be true and came with strings. "I'm not sure you'll believe me," Xander said.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Tony said pleasantly. "I fought Thor, a demi-god who rides lightening. Then helped him defeat an alien invasion. There's not much I can't handle. Nothing surprises me anymore."

"You wanna bet?" Xander asked with a grin. Then he proceeded to reveal Buffy's secret. Tony listened without comment, his eyes giving away nothing. When he stopped talking, he waited for Tony to say something.

"So my new security guard is a vampire slayer? One that was called to fight vampires, demons, and any other supernatural creature when she was just fifteen years old? Your old town was on a hellmouth, a place of mystical energy that calls to all kinds of evil creatures? The earthquake that destroyed the town was really you and your friends permanently closing it?" Tony asked, a note of incredulity in his voice.

"Yep," Xander said in resignation. Here was the part where he'd get fired or laughed out of the room. Giles and Buffy were so going to be pissed.

Tony was silent a moment. He had thought he was prepared for anything Xander might tell him. It seemed he was wrong. "Slayers have existed for centuries?" he clarified.

"Willow or Buffy could explain it better or Giles. You should talk to Giles," Xander said.

"He was her Watcher and posed as your high school librarian?" Tony asked.

Xander nodded. "He's in England now with Faith," Xander said. "Or was. I mean Faith isn't in England anymore. She's in Ohio."

"Who is Faith?"

"Another slayer," Xander said, then winced. He probably shouldn't mention the other slayers. Giles was going to kill him.

"I thought Buffy was one of a kind," Tony questioned.

"Well, she was until she died once. A vampire drowned her at the end of our sophomore year," Xander explained. "When she died, another slayer was called. I gave her mouth to mouth, and she came back to life. Most slayers usually fight and die alone. Buffy has always had us. She's the oldest known slayer in history. Well, except for Faith. Faith was called our senior year after the second slayer was killed. She's about two years or so older than us. She's never told us exactly," Xander said. "But Buffy has been fighting the longest."

"A dangerous occupation," Tony observed, his mind racing with all the data. These kids were saving the world when Tony was doing nothing except the occasional tinkering.

"Yes, it is," Xander said soberly.

"And that's how you lost your eye?"

"We were battling the First. Caleb was his disciple or something," Xander said with a shrug.

"The first what?" Tony inquired.

"The first evil," Xander said. When he saw Tony's face, he smiled in sympathy. "Yeah, it's a bit insane sounding."

"So what skills do you bring to the team?" Tony asked.

"None. Not really," Xander said looking down. Then he met Tony's gaze. "I mean I've killed my share of vampires. I've mostly used my face as a punching bag to distract. On occasion, I've proved useful. I've saved Buffy's life a few times and Willow's twice."

Tony somehow knew that there was much more to this young man than he was saying. "The saving of a life is never a minor thing," Tony said sagely. "So why are you guys in New York?"

"We're retired. Mostly. I mean Buffy and Will did kill a lot of those alien creatures who came around our neighbor. I may have picked off one or two. Buffy sometimes stops muggings as you know. There's so many people in this city that the real crime gets in the way of the supernatural crimes," Xander said. "Faith has a team of people helping her in Ohio where the other hellmouth is located. It's her turn, so we decided to get a life and came here."

"No ulterior motive?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"None. I got a job with your construction company as soon as we came here. The girls went to school. Buffy finished her degree in history while Dawn started at NYU," Xander said.

"And Dawn? What's special about her?" Tony asked.

"Dawn is perfectly human with no superpowers," Xander said carefully. That's one secret he would never reveal.

Tony could sense there was more to what he was saying. However, he decided that he'd grilled the guy long enough. "So let me show you what I've been working on," Tony said.

Xander was surprised. He had begun to believe that the offer of a new eye was just a pretense to get him alone. "You're serious?" Xander asked.

"Look, I'm sorry for giving you the third degree. I can't help it. I have to know everything all the time. It's the way I'm made. I hate being blindsided. But I really am working on a project that could help you. I need a risk taker to take a chance. It's not safe being on the cutting edge," Tony shared. "I almost killed myself more than once perfecting my Iron Man suit, but then I nailed it. The risks were so worth it."

"You think I'm the guy you're looking for?" Xander asked in surprise.

Tony gave him a wide smile. "I know you are!" he said confidently. This guy spent years fighting evil without any special skills at all and had managed to survive. It was a miracle he'd only lost an eye. Tony could give him a real ability to fight once again. He'll never be the same.

******_Two Hours Later******_

Buffy stood pacing outside Tony's lab. He was in there with Xander and was ignoring her presence. She pulled out the tablet and touched the screen. "Are you sure you told him I was out here waiting?" she asked.

"Yes. He is aware," JARVIS replied.

Buffy sat back down in the chair. She knew that as his guard she should probably get used to cooling her heels waiting on Tony. It was just she was worried. Tony had Xander in there with a promise to give him a robotic eye. Just the thought of all the bad things that could happen to Xander once Tony started "experimenting" on him had her worried.

She sent Willow a text with her concerns.

"_Relax! Those things take time. Nothing is going to happen without us knowing exactly what's involved," _her text replied. Buffy sighed, knowing Will was right.

Finally, the door opened. "Buffy, you can come in now," Tony called out.

She went in, her eyes immediately going to Xander's. He looked the same; however, he gave her a guilty glance. Buffy put her hands on her hip. "Okay, spill. What did you do?"

"He had a video of you, Buff. I had to tell him," Xander said defensively.

"What video?" Buffy asked.

"The one of you fighting vampires, demons, and other monsters in Sunnydale," Tony supplied. "JARVIS can access Top-Secret files."

Buffy was silent, not sure how to respond. "So you know I'm the slayer," she said simply.

"I have a million questions," Tony said eagerly.

Buffy held up her hand. "First, I want to know exactly what you want with Xander," she said.

"It's okay, Buffy. He's just showing me what he's working on," Xander assured her.

"I told Xander about my robotic eye. If I adapt it to the human body, he could have x-ray vision, thermal night vision, and a cool laser weapon that'd shoot out of his eye," Tony said smugly.

"Would he be able to actually see normally?" Buffy asked with a frown.

"Of course! That's just the beginning," Tony said. "I need a new partner. Xander is going to assist me in my lab."

"I am?" Xander asked in surprise.

"I need someone besides me to design for. The military won't let me make anymore Iron Man suits for anyone but them. I mean I can make them for myself. I'm making one for Pepper—they can kiss my ass—but I'm having to think outside the box," Tony said.

"I thought Willow was your robot girl?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, she is. She's going to do all the official work in the lab with my scientists. Xander will be my personal assistant," Tony said.

"Why me?" Xander asked perplexed. The guy was the coolest man ever, but Xander was feeling like he'd been run over by a steamroller. Tony had so many exciting ideas. He was like Buffy and Willow rolled up in one. The brains of Willow with the energy and intensity of Buffy. It was a fascinating and exhausting combination.

"Because you interest me. You seem to be have no super powers, no physical enhancements that would give you an edge, yet you willing threw yourself into her fight. You risk your life again and again fighting things you really had no business doing. That interests me. You have potential. You have heart. Skills can be taught. Gama rays can turn you into a superfreak. But having heart makes you special. It makes you someone I want on my team. Someone I want working with me," Tony stated.

Buffy loved Xander with every part of her. He was her rock, her best friend, her conscience. To have someone with so much experience and influence see in Xander what she'd seen and known for years made her want to hug him. She gave Tony a brilliant smile. "He is pretty special," she said softly.

Xander looked embarrassed. "I already have a job. What will the guys think?" Xander asked in concern.

"Don't worry about them. I'll tell your supervisor I've pulled you off the sight to work on a special project for me," Tony said. "I'm eccentric. He won't blink an eye. I'll double your pay."

Xander blinked in surprise. Then he held out his hand. "You got yourself an assistant!" Xander exclaimed with a grin.

Tony shook his hand, pleased. "Perfect!"

"Don't be talking him into anything that will hurt him," Buffy said with a warning look at Tony.

JARVIS interrupted. "Sir, Nick Fury is here to see you."

"Tell him I'm busy. Next time make an appointment," Tony said dismissively.

"He's on his way down," JARVIS said.

Tony frowned in annoyance. He looked at Buffy. "Time to earn your pay. Don't let him in my lab," Tony ordered.

"He can't get in here anyway," Buffy pointed out.

"I don't want him bothering me at all," Tony said. "Make sure he gets that."

"Who is he?" Buffy asked.

"Someone who thinks he's more important than he is," Tony said with a smirk.

Buffy felt like she was being set up, but she nodded and walked to the exit. The door closed behind her.

A short time later, a very tall, dark skinned man stepped off the elevator. He, too, wore an eye patch. Buffy stared at him in bemusement. It seemed that Xander wasn't as much of a novelty in Tony's world as she originally thought. She stood in his path, giving him an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry. Mr. Stark doesn't want to be disturbed," she said reasonably. "You'll have to come back another time."

Nick frowned down at the attractive blonde. A new assistant. Tony never learned. "JARVIS, open the door!" Nick called out.

The door opened. "Don't let him in, Buffy!" Tony called out. He was watching them on his monitors, a huge smile of anticipation on his face.

"What are you doing?" Xander asked him.

"Fury needs to learn he's not the baddest guy around," Tony said with a smirk.

Nick tried to go around Buffy. She moved and blocked his path once again. "I told you to come back at more convenient time for Mr. Stark," Buffy said coolly.

Nick narrowed his one eye at her. The petite blonde didn't seem phased by his superior height or his one eye. "I don't care what Mr. Stark says. I need to see him," Nick Fury replied, trying to go around her once again.

Buffy again stepped up to him and this time held her hand up and shoved him slightly against the chest.

Nick grabbed her hand to remove it. Buffy took his intentions as hostile and twisted his wrist. She had him flipped on his back, her foot against his neck before he realized what happened.

Tony peeked his head out of his office, laughing. "Buffy, I'm giving you a raise! You managed to knock the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. on his ass in less than a minute," Tony said with a smirk.

Buffy frowned at her boss. "Excuse me?" she asked. She quickly removed her foot from his neck and moved back.

Tony reached out and offered his hand to Nick Fury. Fury got to his feet and glowered at both of them.

"Buffy, meet Nick Fury head of S.H.I.E.L.D—Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate. SHIELD for short," Tony said.

Buffy looked aghast and apologized, "I'm so sorry!" Giles had told her all about this group of Master spy network. They were responsible for organizing the Avengers movement.

"Fury, meet Buffy Summers, my new personal security guard," Tony said proudly.

Nick looked at her with interest. "You are a lot stronger than you look," he observed.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Buffy said modestly.

"She's my superhero, so keep your hands off of her," Tony announced.

"Superhero?" Nick wondered.

"She's a bona fide vampire slayer," Tony announced proudly. "Bet you didn't know those existed!" He loved knowing something before Nick Fury. "Fury is a master spy. He prides himself on knowing everyone's secrets."

"I take it he doesn't tell you any of those. At least not any he wants to keep," Buffy said, giving Tony a dark look. "Not only did I not share mine with you, but I don't appreciate you sharing it with every Tom, Dick, and Harry you know."

"It's Nick, not Dick," Tony said with a grin. "Although I personally think dick is appropriate."

"Are you quite done?" Nick asked Tony. "I needed to discuss something with you."

Tony gave a long suffering sigh. "Fine. Why don't we go up to my office?" Tony suggested.

"You think?" he said sarcastically. Tony just grinned. He turned to Buffy. "Why don't you and Xander take a lunch break? Bring me back something tasty."

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked doubtfully. It was kind of early for lunch.

"Yeah. I'll be in my office until you return," Tony said. The two men walked off.

Buffy looked at Xander. "He set me up! He wanted me to knock that guy on his ass!" she exclaimed.

Xander laughed. "He's got to be the coolest boss on the planet!" he enthused. "I think I'm in love!"

"I'm something, but it's not love," she said dryly. "He's blabbing my business to everyone he knows. What part of secret identity does he not get? You did tell him it was a secret identity, right?"

"I figured it was a given. The man's IQ is unmeasurable," Xander pointed out. "Besides, that guy wasn't just anyone. He looked important. We should go see Will. She can give us the details on SHIELD's head guy," Xander suggested. Buffy agreed.

*****_Tony's Office******_

Tony greeted Clint, otherwise known as the Hawk, waiting outside his office. "I didn't know you were here," Tony said, greeting him with a smile.

"Fury's made a few new enemies lately," Clint said with a smile. "I pulled guard duty."

"Someone's gotta do it," Tony said with a grin. "You should meet my new guard. She's a tigress. She knocked Fury on his ass."

"She took me by surprise," Nick said with a glare.

"It wouldn't have mattered. I wasn't kidding about the slayer thing," Tony said. "I didn't know when I hired her. She saved Pepper's life. Pepper was mugged literally across the street."

"Is she okay?" Nick asked in concern.

"She's fine," Tony said. "What's up?" He went through his office door. The two men followed.

"I need you to contact Dr. Banner. He's gone AWOL. It's concerning," Nick Fury said.

Tony didn't look concerned. "He won't return your phone calls? Not a call for concern. I don't either," Tony said with a smirk.

"He was supposed to join with Steven and get some testing done. Both have undergone severe physical activity lately. We want to run some tests on them," he said.

"Why? They're fine. Both are damn well indestructible," Tony said.

"They are the only known subjects to be affected by gamma rays. We don't know if it ever wears out or the affect on the heart and other major organs," Nick explained.

"What can I tell you? Bruce doesn't check in with me," Tony said.

"In case he's screening my calls, will you give him a call?" Nick said.

"Sure," Tony said. Nick waited expectantly. "You mean now?"

"Yes, now!" Nick said in exasperation.

Tony snickered and dialed Bruce's cell. It went to voicemail. "Hey, this is me. Call me as soon as you get this. I got this one eyed pest wanting to check in on you," Tony said, smirking at Nick, who rolled his eye.

"If he calls you back, call me, okay?" Nick asked.

"Sure, but don't you think you're overreacting?" Tony said.

"We've been keeping an eye on Banner for years. His Hulk is deadly and unpredicatable as well as mosly uncontrollable. It concerns me that he's out of contact," Nick said.

"I'll see if I can track him down," Tony offered.

"I appreciate it," Nick Fury said. "Now do you want to explain what you mean about your new guard being a slayer?"

Tony grinned. "You guys may want to sit down for this," Tony said.

When Tony was done, the two men stared at him without blinking. Finally, Clint said, "Bullshit!"

Tony laughed. "Not bullshitting. The girl is the real deal. I have video proof. Not the best quality, but I'm sure JARVIS can clean it up," Tony said.

Nick Fury looked thoughtful. Then he said, "There has been a high number of reports the past few years of woman possessing unusual strength. I had mostly chalked it up to rise of feminism and women finally gaining equal ground with their male counterparts."

"Don't let Natasha hear you talk that way," Clint warned.

"JARVIS, where is Buffy now?" Tony asked.

"She is in the elevator with Mr. Harris. They have just left the new robotics lab," he replied.

"They're probably on their way out to lunch," Tony said. He looked at Clint. "Here's a chance for someone not caught unaware to test her reflexes." He smirked at Nick. "Let's see how Clint does."

Clint shrugged. He'd been knocked on his ass by a woman before. Unlike most men, he knew first hand how capable a woman could be. He never underestimated the opposite sex. "A superior fighter doesn't a superhero make," he said.

"Maybe not. But she's the real deal. You'll see," Tony said. He led the men out of his office, determined to prove to them that Buffy Summers was not just talented. She was the slayer.

******_Chapter End******_

_I love your review like a fat lady loves her chocolate! :)_


	4. Chapter 4

**I hope you will enjoy this one! I'm very happy to have you read, follower, and favorite this story!**

Chapter 4: Pushed Too Far

******_Where We Left Off******_

Clint resigned himself to the coming confrontation. He just hoped no one got hurt. Although his closest friend was a woman whom he sparred with often, he didn't really enjoy fighting a woman. He took comfort in the thought that if the woman really did have some type of powers, he probably couldn't hurt her that much. He watched her step out of the elevator. He grimaced. This was not going to end well. He tried to appear casual as he drew near them. The one eyed guy, however, noticed Clint and eyed him warily. When Clint reached out to grab Buffy, Xander threw himself in front of her.

"What's your problem, man?" Xander demanded.

Clint didn't respond. He just hit the guy in the face, expecting that would end his involvement. However, the guy knew how to take a hit and hit him back.

"What the hell?" Buffy said, stepping between them. She pushed Xander back and then glared at Clint.

Clint blinked in surprise. The woman was beautiful and several inches smaller than he. Since he wasn't a tall man, most women could look him in the eye. Not this woman. She looked up at him in seething anger. Clint inwardly cursed Tony. "I'm trying to test your reflexes," he finally said.

"Test? You wanna test me?" she asked incredulously. She looked around the lobby, trying to spot Tony. Then she looked up and caught his guilty look as he stood with Nick Fury looking down at him. "You want to get your ass kicked then that's fine by me." Without another word, she stepped up to him and hit him so hard, his feet went off the ground. Airborne, he flew several feet before crashing into a wall.

Buffy was so angry that she could barely see straight. She stepped forward to beat the arrogant man unconscious when Xander grabbed her arm. "Don't, Buffy!" he ordered.

"He hit you, Xander!" she replied. "They want to know what a slayer is, I'm going to show them!"

Xander glanced at the growing audience. "Not the right time. Not the right place," he reminded her.

Buffy realized that he was right. She stepped over to the guy she'd just decked. "You tell Tony the next time he tries to set me up, he better be covered in armor. I'll show him what real power is!" she said coldly.

Clint was still so stunned by the woman that he didn't reply before she left with the one eyed guy. He glared up at Tony and Fury, who stood on the second floor, looking down at him. Wincing as his back protested, he slowly got to his feet and made his way up to join them.

"Told you," Tony said to Fury. "She hit him once. Did you see that? She's like a mini-Thor."

Fury was thoughtful, his mind racing with possibilities. "There's others like her?" he asked.

"I don't know. I know there's one. A Faith who is working at the hellmouth in Ohio somewhere," Tony said.

Clint made it up to them. "She is really pissed at you," he told Tony.

Tony winced. "She is?" he asked. Since she'd only hit Clint once, Tony was hoping she wasn't too mad. "You shouldn't have hit Xander. She's very protective of him."

"Yeah, well, thanks for telling me that _now_," Clint replied with a glare.

"I was right about him, too," Tony said with a smug smile. "Xander is going to be perfect. He knows what she can do better than anyone. He lost an eye fighting some demon guy, yet he still comes to her defense. He's the epitome of selfless and brave."

"The girl said the next time you want to test her you better be covered in armor because she's going to show you what real power is," Clint said.

Tony frowned. "She was that mad?"

"I think it was the restraining hand of her friend that kept her from beating me senseless," Clint said with a grimace.

Nick Fury laughed. "Looks like you're going to have to start interviewing a new bodyguard," Nick said.

"I hope not. Pepper will be pissed. Not to mention I like having my own superhero," Tony said with a grin.

"Should've thought of that before you set her up twice in the span of an hour," Nick pointed out.

"The woman is not like Natasha," Clint said. "Natasha likes underplaying her skills to catch her opponents off guard. She uses finesse more than brute force. This girl knows her power and isn't afraid to use it. I hope you didn't make me a new enemy."

"I'll talk to her," Tony said.

"I'd like to talk to her myself," Nick said.

"My slayer. Go find your own," Tony said firmly.

"I don't think she's the type of person you can own," Clint said dryly.

"You know what I meant," Tony said. He decided to go talk to his new scientist. "Her best friend Willow is my new head of Robotics. I'll get her on my side." He turned to go to his elevator.

"Don't forget about Banner," Nick called out. "Let me know if he contacts you."

Tony lifted his hand in acknowledgment but didn't stop or turn back toward them.

"So what do you think?" Nick asked Clint after Tony left.

"I feel like I was hit by Thor's hammer," Clint said, rubbing his bruised jaw.

"You kind of look like you were," Nick observed. "If she is who Tony says she is, then we can't allow her to be wasted as his personal bodyguard. Go track her down. Apologize. See if she's open to working for us."

"Now is not the time to approach her. She's too pissed," Clint replied. "I should have Natasha with me anyway. Sometimes woman respond better to other women."

Nick nodded. The implications of Tony's revelation needed to be researched. "We gotta go. I got to see what I can find out about this new development," he said.

Clint followed him.

Tony found Willow talking to the assistant Pepper had already hired for her. The assistant was in charge of her personnel and was setting up the interviews.

"Thanks, Tina," Willow said before turning to Tony. "Hey, Mr. Stark. I've got my first interview lined up today and several tomorrow. We'll have this place lock and loaded before too long!"

Tony smiled at her eagerness. "That's great. I knew you'd be the right person for the job," he said.

Willow flushed at his praise. "I hope so!" she said. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I'm hoping you can intervene and keep your friend Buffy from quitting on me," Tony said. He told Willow what had occurred.

"Buffy told me about the Fury incident. She was pretty pissed. She has an innate distrust and dislike of the military and government organizations," Willow said.

"Me, too! We're a perfect match!" Tony insisted. "Fury rejected me initially for the Avengers program because he said I didn't play well with others."

"Buffy does like calling the shots, but that's not all. We trusted someone involved with the military, and things got ugly," Willow said.

"The ex?" Tony wondered.

Willow shook her head. "No, Riley was great. He left the military. Even with AWOL for a time because of what they did to Buffy," Willow explained. "Buffy also had to jump through hoops with the Watcher's Council. A bunch of stuff shirts trying to stay relevant in the fight made Giles perform this sadistic ritual on her when she turned 18. It almost got her and her mother killed. Giles quit the council over it. Needless to say, our experiences with organized bodies have never been good. I won't even go into the disasters they caused with Faith."

"So do you think she'll stay mad for long?" Tony asked.

"Depends," Willow said with a shrug.

"On what?" he asked.

"How well you grovel," Willow said with a grin.

"Seriously?" Tony asked.

"Look, Buffy's reasonable. But if she's really pissed over your latest stunt that got Xander slugged, it may take her a bit to cool down. No one messes with Xander," Willow said, giving him a disapproving look. "He's ours, and we take care of what is ours." There wasn't a man on earth that Willow loved as much as Xander. Nor would there ever probably be again.

"He wasn't hurt!" Tony said defensively.

"Not the point. You pulled a stunt last night that could've gotten him hurt, remember? That's twice!" Willow reminded him.

"I'll behave. I promise. I just wanted to know what her skills are," Tony said.

"Well, then ask her to spar with you or someone else. Don't have strange guys attack her," Willow said. "Does Pepper know?"

Tony winced. "No. I'd rather she not," Tony said.

"Too late!" a voice behind them said. They turned. It was Pepper. She marched up to Tony. "One day, Tony! You manged to run of your new security guard in _one _day!"

"How did you find out?" Tony wondered in amazement.

"She called me," Pepper said. "She said thanks for the opportunity, but she didn't think it was going to work out. She can't work for a guy who thinks it's okay to endanger her friends or her sister. She doesn't trust you."

That remark hurt. Tony frowned in displeasure. "I didn't mean to upset her so much. I just had to know. I wanted to show Fury what she could do," Tony said.

"No, you wanted to show off and one up him," Pepper corrected. "You better go find her and apologize."

"I'd give her a day to cool off," Willow advised. "She can be a bit stubborn when she's angry."

"Why was Fury here?" Pepper asked Tony.

"He's trying to track down Bruce. It seems he's gone dark, and that concerns him," Tony shared.

"Did you try calling him?" Pepper asked in concern. She liked Bruce. He got Tony in a way few people did. He had the intellect to keep up with Tony, which so few did.

"I did. I got his voicemail," Tony said. "I'm going to have JARVIS look for him."

"I'll talk to Buffy when I get home," Willow told him.

"You don't think Xander will quit, too?" Tony asked in alarm. Buffy was fascinating, and he didn't want to lose her. However, he needed someone like Xander.

"Nah. He needs a job. He loves working for your company," Willow said. "You told him you could give him x-ray vision. He's not going anywhere."

Tony smiled in relief. "Don't worry. I'm not going to let him be permanently damaged or anything," Tony said.

"Just show me the specs of any experiments you want to do with him, please? I can't promise things will go well for you if something happened to him," Willow cautioned.

"Is that a threat?" Tony asked curiously.

"No. Not a threat. Just letting you know," Willow said casually. "But I don't always have much self-control when someone I love is hurt or killed. And Buffy? She died saving her sister once. I brought her back from the dead. So it's not a good idea to go pissing either of us off."

Both Pepper and Tony's eyes widened in shock at both her words and with the casual tone she used to deliver her threat. Pepper was reassessing her and wondering if she'd misjudged Willow. Tony, on the other hand, was intrigued. Utterly. "What? You raised the dead? Buffy died? How dead? That's not possible!" Tony exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yeah, well, we deal with the impossible all the time," Willow replied with a sardonic smile.

"Ms. Rosenburg, you're first appointment has arrived. They're waiting in the conference room," her assistant said to her.

"We'll get out of your way," Pepper said, looking pointedly at Tony.

"But I have questions!" Tony protested. "Lots and lots of questions!"

"Let me get the positions filled here, and I promise to sit down with you and answer all your questions," Willow said.

"Fine," Tony reluctantly agreed. He let Pepper lead him out of Willow's lab.

"Tony, you're going to have to back off the new employees or you'll scare them off," Pepper warned.

"Did you hear what I heard?" Tony asked as they got on his elevator.

"I was standing right next to you," Pepper said dryly.

"She can raise the dead! Or she's a liar. Or maybe she's got delusions of grandeur," Tony said.

"All three possibilities are alarming," Pepper said. "Why don't we just focus on her robotic talents? That's why you hired her, remember?"

"How can I not find out what she can do? She is a scientist but claims to have magical powers," Tony said.

"She does have some powers. We've both seen some," Pepper reminded him. "And if she can raise the dead, it's best if you tread lightly. For once, Tony, listen to me."

Tony put his arm around her and hugged her against him. The elevator opened. They walked out together. "Don't worry, Pepper. I won't do anything stupid. I'll focus on Xander for now," Tony said. "You should've seen him! When Clint seemed to be a threat, he immediately confronted him. He didn't hide behind Buffy. When Clint hit him, he took the hit, and then hit him back."

"Clint hit him?" Pepper asked in outrage.

"Oh, Buffy didn't mention that part?" Tony asked with a wince.

Pepper sighed. "No, she didn't," Pepper said flatly.

"It was nothing," Tony said dismissively. "I'm going to call Xander. He seems more reasonable than Buffy. Don't worry. Everything will work out."

"I hope so," she replied. "Let me know if you hear from Bruce. I hope he's okay."

"How could he not be? He is indestructible. Nothing on earth or any other planet can kill him," Tony said.

"That we know of. Remember that. There's things out there and even on this planet we don't know about," she reminded him. The realization of how small they really were and often how powerless sometimes kept her awake at night. Her recent brush with death had hit that point home. She hoped that Buffy and Willow would be new allies. Allies and not new enemies. They didn't need anymore of those.

******_A Few Days Earlier******_

Dr. Bruce Banner had flew into Cleveland, OH to speak at a conference at Oberlin College, an old liberal arts college not far from Cleveland in a tiny town called Oberlin. The college offered to pick him up, but he opt to rent a car. The college was less than an hour away. Bruce enjoyed the tranquil drive. Ohio was much more relaxing to drive in than New York City. The traffic in New York City was so insane that it made the Big Guy come out sometimes. He never drove if he could avoid it in the city.

He flew in on the red-eye and made it at the college by ten. Things went well. Now that he was no longer a fugitive and Tony had cleared the way in the academic world again for him, he could actually publish some of his work. This was his first request to speak in a long time. The college was small but very prestige. He had been happy to make some new contacts. He left the conference feeling good about the entire experience. His problem occurred on the drive back.

His rental car broke down right outside of Orberlin. He hadn't brought a car charger, and his cell phone was dead. He got out of the car and popped the hood. It was dark, and he couldn't see much with just the glare of his headlights. A flashlight was another tool he didn't have. The highway he was on didn't seem to have much traffic.

"Sir, do you need some help?" a voice called out.

Bruce turned and saw a young woman. He frowned in confusion. She had appeared out of nowhere. She had no car. "Uh, where did you come from?" he asked.

"There," she said, pointing to the line of trees. A few more people suddenly appeared. "Here's some of my friends. I'm sure one of them can help you if I can't."

"Do any of you have a phone?" Bruce asked.

"No. But it wouldn't matter if we did. This road is in the middle of a dead zone," the girl said. She walked closer to Bruce. She seemed harmless enough, so Bruce wasn't concerned.

She gave his car a cursory glance before stopping next to him. "What's the problem?" she asked.

"I can't see much. It just seemed to lose power," Bruce replied.

"Too bad for you," the girl said. Then she flashed him a smile before her face changed. No longer was she the pretty, innocent girl she first appeared to be. Now her face was deformed, and she appeared to have fangs.

Bruce was so startled that he wasn't afraid. However, the Big Guy sensed the threat. When the girl's teeth tried to pierce his neck, he took over. The Hulk was enraged and threw the girl far away from him. He roared in outrage. Suddenly, he was surrounded by strange human like creatures that were all baring fangs. They attacked all at once. Bruce receded more and more as the rage of the Hulk engulfed him.

*******_To Be Continued*********_

_The Hulk in the hellmouth. Who would've thought? I hope you're enjoying this! More soon! _


	5. Chapter 5

**For your reading pleasure...**

Chapter 5: A Puzzle

*******_The Hellmouth: Oberlin, OH*******_

The Hulk was perplexed and very angry. These human-like creatures kept trying to bite him. He tried to destroy them, but they kept getting up. They had disappeared when the sun came up. However, he didn't recede and let Banner take over. There was something about the energy of the place that kept him enraged and in control. The next night he came across another group of the strange creatures. They attacked him; he kicked them hard. He knocked some down. Finally, he finally grabbed one in his hand and lifted it up, its arms pinned. The creature bared its teeth at him.

He yelled, "Awwww!" at it and then ripped its head off. When the creature dissolved into dust, he frowned in confusion. He didn't understand these creatures and was getting angrier by the minute. His foot kicked out in frustration and knocked it into the air. Tiring of these creatures, he turned and ran toward the forest, knocking down trees in his wake.

*******_At Buffy's*******_

Buffy finished telling Giles about her encounter at Stark Industry.

"I just can't believe the guy, Giles!" she complained.

"Well, Buffy, Tony Stark is a man that has always had the means and the talent to pretty much do whatever he wants. His mind is one of the greatest alive today, and I would imagine it needs constant stimuli. He sees you as a puzzle. A puzzle his intellect will demand an answer for," Giles said reasonably.

Buffy sighed. "I suppose you're right. But he's a bit insane, Giles! Three times! Three times in less than a full twenty-four hours!" she exclaimed.

"It does seem a bit excessive, but Tony has a well documented history with impulse control issues," Giles said. "I do believe, however, that he's been much better since he gave his company over to Ms. Potts to run. Having Iron Man as an outlet for his energy has also helped him, I'd imagine."

Buffy hated it when Giles was so sensible. "Well, I'm not going to go into work and be experimented on every day!" she insisted. "Oh, and now he's got Xander drinking his Kool-aid!" She shared Xander's new job description.

"Hmm. That's unexpected," Giles said thoughtfully. "But it could open up some amazing doors for Xander."

Buffy threw herself down on her couch. "I know," she said glumly. "But I worry. Tony isn't exactly known for his self-control or good judgment."

"I'm more concerned about your encounter with S.H.I.E.L.D," Giles said. "I don't want them trying to recruit our slayers."

"Well, having paying jobs stopping crime could be a good thing for some of them," Buffy pointed out.

"Maybe for some that have learned to control their power. Any slayer not fully trained could be disastrous for all of you," Giles pointed out. "You, on the other hand, may find it something worth pursuing. Being a bodyguard may be a bit tedious for someone of your gifts."

"I love tedious. I'm due some boredom! Past due, I think!" Buffy replied. "And I have no desire to work for that one-eyed giant. He doesn't know how to smile. He was like a Watcher on Xanax. Not cool. Not fun. Principal Snyder all over again! No, thank you!"

"Well, now that you're on his radar, I'm sure you'll be hearing from him," Giles cautioned.

"I would never accept a job that'd have me going all over the world. Been there. Done that. Not gonna do it again!" Buffy said firmly. "Nor do I want to work for some clandestine government agency. I'll leave that to the Rileys of the world!"

Giles chuckled. "Well, what are you going to do? I'm not sure it's a good idea to leave Xander working alone so closely with Tony Stark," Giles said.

"Will is there, too," Buffy said reluctantly.

"Yes, but she'll have her hands full with her own division," Giles pointed out. "I'm so impressed that she was given such responsibility. It's an amazing opportunity for her."

Buffy sighed in defeat. Giles so knew how to work her. "Fine. I'll go back. But I'm not going to be his guinea pig!" she insisted with a pout.

"I'm sure if you'd spend some time letting him get to know you, that he'll relax. Satisfy his insatiable curiosity," Giles advised.

"Is that possible?" Buffy pointed out with a laugh.

Her front door opened, and she looked up. "Xander's home. I'll keep you posted, Giles," Buffy said.

"Yes, please do," he replied. "And Buffy, don't be afraid to trust someone new. Tony Stark is exactly the mentor I'd have for you. He can be someone that will understand you and some of the things you've gone through. Don't be so quick to reject his offer of friendship."

"I won't," she said. She said goodbye and hung up.

"Was that Giles? Is everything okay?" Xander asked, sitting down next to her.

"Yeah, I was just venting," Buffy said. She laid her head down on his shoulder. "What would I do without you?"

"Learn to fix things yourself," Xander said dryly.

Buffy laughed. "Yeah, right!" she said. "You know you can't ever leave us, right? If you meet a girl, she's got to love us, okay?"

Xander debated on whether or not he should confess his new relationship and decided the timing wasn't right. "I'm sure she will!" Xander said. "Just so you know, Tony is very sorry. He told me he'd come and apologize in person. I told him to let you cool off!"

"Good advice," Buffy said. "I don't know, Xander. What do you think?"

"I think you'd be an idiot to quit such a cushy job," Xander said unhesitatingly. "Tony is the most amazing man on the planet."

"You're just saying that 'cause he wants you as his new side kick," Buffy said sourly.

"Well, since I lost my eye, I lost my other side kick gig," Xander said pointedly.

"You're much more than my side kick!" she quickly said.

He reached out and squeezed her hand. "I know, Buff. But this is the most exciting thing to happen to me in a long time. Please, let me enjoy it," Xander said.

"I'll try. Where's Willow?" Buffy said.

"She wanted to finish up some things. Since she has her own car now, I took the train home," Xander said.

"I could've come and got you!" Buffy said, flashing him a guilty look.

"No biggie. I rode in with Will in her fancy new company car," Xander said. "I don't mind takin' the subway."

"Mr. Moneybags will probably give you your own car, too," Buffy said, flashing him a grin.

"So what's for dinner?" Xander asked.

"I don't know. What are you cooking?" she asked with a wide smile.

Xander sighed and got up. "I'm going to tell Tony to build me a robot cook! That would totally rock!" Xander said.

*******_The Hellmouth********_

Faith and Robin were battling vampires while her other slayers were engaged with some others nearby. A loud roar was heard. Faith paused in her fight and looked up. Her eyes widened as she saw the largest demon she'd ever seen appear. It was green and very angry.

"What the hell is that?" Faith asked incredulously.

Robin staked the vampire that was about to attack her. Then he turned to look. His eyes widened. The vampires they were all battling all paused to stare at the newcomer. The creature roared and began flinging bodies. Some of Faith's team shot their crossbows at him. The arrows bounced off his chest like he was made of rubber.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" Faith declared as she charged the new threat. "You picked the wrong town!"

The Hulk looked down at his newest challenger and frowned. The girl smiled at him before she ran and kicked him. The kick barely registered, but he still roared his displeasure. Since the girl didn't try to bite him, he didn't try to rip off her head. However, he did kick her back, and she went airborne. His eyes narrowed in on a familiar creature with fangs. He reached out and grabbed it. After roaring his anger at it, he ripped off its head.

Faith picked herself up in time to see the demon tear apart a vampire. "What's his deal?" she asked Robin.

"He must have a low IQ and doesn't know enemy from ally," Robin guessed.

Faith figured it didn't matter. He was a monster, and she was a monster slayer. Her job description was simple.

*******_Back in New York******_

They had just finished dinner, and Willow was filling them in on her very first job interview as boss. She was glowing with excitement and enthusiasm. Buffy smiled fondly at her, glad to see her so happy.

"I'm glad one of us had a good first day," she said to Willow.

"You know Tony came to see me. I told him you would expect a lot of groveling," Willow shared with a grin.

Buffy laughed. "I'd love to see that! Somehow I think his version of groveling won't exactly be mine," Buffy said.

Xander felt compelled to defend his hero. "Hey! You should be glad he wants you back! We both know he doesn't really need a bodyguard," Xander said.

"Right now I would say he needs someone to keep him out of trouble more than to protect him. Pepper can only do so much!" Buffy said.

"Oh, I did sort of promise Tony that as soon as I staff my department I'd sit down with him an answer all his questions about us," Willow said.

"I suppose I should just go in there tomorrow and lay it all out for him," Buffy said with a sigh.

"Why don't you call him and put him out of his misery?" Xander suggested.

"Why would I want to do that?" Buffy said with a grin.

"I think you're being stupid," Dawn said with her typical bluntness. "That's the best job you could ever hope to get. You can mingle with real life superheroes. Maybe you'll get to meet Thor! He's so hot!"

Xander frowned. "He wears a skirt!" he insisted.

"Hey, he does have a hammer no one else can wield. He could be your soulmate!" Willow teased.

Buffy laughed at the thought. "I have had my fill of egotistical demi-gods or hell gods or whatever he is!" she said. The doorbell rang

Dawn got up to answer it.

Buffy and Willow turned and saw Dawn welcome in the very guy who had attacked Xander at Tony's biding. She stood up, frowning. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Clint gave her his best smile and held up his hand. "Please, forgive the intrusion. I came to apologize," he said quickly.

Willow eyed his beautiful companion with interest. "Who's your friend?" she asked, standing next to Buffy.

"This is Natasha Romanoff, my partner," Clint said.

Willow stepped forward and extended her hand. "I'm Willow Rosenburg. It's nice to meet you," she said, smiling warmly. She pointed around the room. "That's Xander, Dawn, and Buffy."

"So did you bring someone else to try _test_ my reflexes?" Buffy asked sourly.

"No, I really did want to say I'm sorry," Clint said sincerely. "Tony wanted to show you off. I hope you won't hold it against me."

"I guess being a mindless drone means you have bigger problems than me," Buffy said disdainfully.

Natasha grinned and elbowed Clint. "Guess she's holding a grudge," Natasha said to him.

"You think?" Buffy said sarcastically.

"I understand," Clint said reasonably. "However, our boss, Nick Fury, would love to meet you officially. He is very intrigued by your special skills."

"SHIELD looking to recruit the Buffster," Xander said with a grin.

"Not interested. Ever. Tell him that," Buffy said coldly.

"You're like a crime fighter, right?" Natasha asked. "Why wouldn't you want to work for the government?"

"Why not? Maybe because I like free will, can think for myself, and don't enjoy never having a life of my own," Buffy said pointedly. "Not to mention, I'm not a crime fighter."

Natasha didn't appreciate the jab and frowned. "What's that supposed to mean? You don't know the first thing about being a SHIELD agent!" she said.

"I know that the government is always looking out for its own best interests. They don't care who they hurt if it's in their quest of the nation's best interest. I don't care to prove to a bunch of men that I can kick their asses all day. I don't like to lie every moment of the day pretending to be someone's friend to get information out of them," Buffy said with more than a hint of snide.

Natasha took offense and stepped forward, aggression in her stance. "Look, you may think you're tough, but I've fought aliens and all kinds of scum. I've been in countless battles and more than one war. I'm not just some pretty doll that lies on command!"

"I'm sure you're not. I'm sure you can think of your own lies just fine," Buffy said with a smirk.

"Hey, we didn't come here to fight!" Clint said, pulling Natasha back and giving her a look. "We want to be friends."

"I have enough friends," Buffy said crossly.

"I don't," Willow said with a cheeky smile to Natasha.

Natasha was confused by the redhead's friendliness in contrast to the blonde's open aggression. However, she focused on the target. "I don't want to be your friend, but you may prove useful to us," Natasha said carefully.

"My goal in life," Buffy said dryly.

Natasha finally lost her temper and stepped forward again. "Look, Buffy—if that's your real name because, face it, no mother who loved her child would name them that—I don't know why you're being so hostile," she said sourly.

Buffy stepped forward, enraged at the crack at her mother. "You dare insult my mother? My _dead _mother? Who raised you? Wolves?" she asked in outrage.

Dawn hadn't appreciated the crack either. "Seriously. That was way below the belt," she said with a disapproving frown.

"Sorry," Natasha said. However, she didn't seem to mean it. It was almost like she was wanting to goad Buffy into hitting her. She took a fighter's stance as if prepared for Buffy's attack.

When Buffy stepped forward with violence in her mind, Willow quickly reacted. An invisible shield fell down between them that Buffy hit and bounced off of. She barely kept herself from landing on her butt. She glared at Willow. "Will!" she scolded.

"Sorry, Buffy, but I don't want you to hurt her. She has such a pretty face," Willow said with an open look of admiration.

"Don't assume it's _my _face that'll be hurt!" Natasha said with a glare.

"Oh, that's what'll happen. You're just a human," Willow said matter-of-factly.

Clint stared in bemusement at the women. Then he glanced at Natasha. Words weren't necessary between them most of the time. She nodded and stepped back, eying the witch warily. "So it's true," Natasha said.

"What's true?" Willow asked.

"You're a witch," Natasha stated.

Willow grinned. "You've heard about me?" she asked, a note of pride in her question.

"Somewhat," Natasha said.

"How about we break up this love fest?" Buffy said. "Tell your boss I'm not interested. Maybe I know some people that may some day be interested. However, not without my okay, so he better back off. I'll make my own judgments."

Clint eyed her thoughtfully. He couldn't help but be impressed by the girl who stood so confidently in front of them. She was the polar opposite of Natasha. He doubted she knew how to act or ever wasted time on pretense. He found her forthrightness refreshing. Too bad she was still pissed at him. However, any day that allowed you to live to fight another day was a good day in his book. "Will do," he said easily. He stepped forward and held out his hand to Buffy. "I hope you'll consider accepting my apology."

"It's not me you should be apologizing to," she said pointedly, ignoring his offered hand. Instead, she crossed her arms across her chest and looked toward Xander.

Clint glanced at Xander, who had remained silent during the exchange. The guy was obviously used to allowing the ladies to run the show. He could respect a man willing to put ego aside so easily. He held out his hand to Xander. "I apologize for hitting you. I hope you'll forgive the insult," Clint said.

Xander smiled easily and took the offered hand. "No big deal. It's not the first punch I've taken defending the ladies," he said.

Clint grinned in appreciation at the man's words. He and Natasha turned to leave. After they stepped outside, Clint turned to his friend. "Well, I guess it could've been worse," he said.

Natasha smirked. "That girl is easier to rile than Banner!" she said with satisfaction.

"And what did you learn?" he asked, arching his eyebrow.

"Not as much as I'd like," Natasha replied. "She's a powder keg. She reminds me of someone."

Clint grinned. "That's exactly what I thought! She's like a female version of Thor. Blonde, deadly, and quick to get riled and quick to defend," he said. "I wonder if she's Asgardian?" He frowned, speculating.

"What about the witch? I don't think I've ever come across a true one before. Have you?" she asked.

"Loki used magic," he said.

"That was more like smoke and mirrors," she said. "I'm not sure he had true power. Not like this girl. She seemed to wield it effortlessly. I wasn't sure who was in charge. Were you?"

Clint thought a moment as they headed to the elevator. "Buffy seems to be in charge. She's too quick to speak. She's obviously used to calling the shots. However, she yielded easily enough to her friend. Either she respects her friend's power or she's not as temperamental as she appears," he said thoughtfully.

"We need more data," Natasha said.

"I don't think either of us will get anywhere with Buffy. She's too hostile right now," Clint said. "You could seduce the guy."

"Maybe. But I may have more luck with the witch. Did you see how she looked at me?" Natasha asked with a grin.

Clint chuckled. "You're braver than me!" he said, shaking his head. They stepped onto the elevator. "What do you think she meant about others who may be interested?"

"I don't know. But I'll find out," Natasha said determinedly. She'd never met a man or woman she couldn't crack eventually.

******_Chapter End******_

_I hope I'm doing okay with Clint and Natasha. I've not read any of the comics, so forgive me if I veer away from your own vision. I'm basically writing based on what we know from the Marvel movies. Your reviews are greatly appreciated! _


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to all of you that have decided to follow this story. I will try to keep if fun and entertaining!**

**I will be bringing Thor into this story eventually. I have a whole Asgardian storyline planned.**

**I had one of my readers and comic book readers tell me that Natasha does have some enhanced abilities like Captain America with the super soldier serum. I'm basically going to ignore that because I'm basing my story off of what you can pick up watching the movies. I hope that doesn't greatly offend die hard Black Widow fans!**

Chapter 6: Proving Something

_******The Hellmouth******_

Faith was beginning to show signs of fatigue. This giant green demon showed no signs of retreating. Nor did he seem at all vulnerable to any type of weapon they tried. He had started ripping up trees and chunking them at the slayers and the vampires alike.

"I don't think he's on their side," Faith said. "I wish he'd be on ours, so we can call it a day. I'm ready for this night to be over!"

"Well, he doesn't seem to have the ability to speak," Robin observed. "He just seems to roar."

One of the girls, Zara, said, "I don't think he's a demon, Faith!"

"What do you mean?" she asked as she watched the monster knock down another vampire.

"I think he's one of those Avengers I saw on TV," Zara said as she watched the creature.

Faith looked confused, and Robin smiled at her fondly. "I told you the news _is_ sometimes worth watching!" he said. "The alien invasion a few months back in New York. The Hulk was what they called the giant green rage monster."

Faith looked at the creature. "You think that's him?" she inquired.

"I think so," Zara replied.

"Me, too. It's gotta be him!" Meredith, another slayer added.

"We could just walk away and let him kill the vampires. If he doesn't follow us, we can assume he's okay," Iota said.

"Works for me," Faith said with a shrug. "I'll call B. She's in New York. She can find out for sure." The group of vampire slayers and Robin all slowly backed away from the raging creature. When he didn't pursue them, Faith grinned. "God, I hope he stays on the edge of town. I want to get to bed!"

_*******The Next Day*******_

Buffy had went back to Tony the next morning. He had been thrilled to see her and had agreed to quit with the surprise attacks. Buffy had told him to not be blabbing her business to Nick Fury without her consent. He had readily agreed. However, he had requested something that she had agreed to. She knew Tony couldn't help his drive to know things, so she decided to satisfy his curiosity about her capabilities.

He took her to the SHIELD training room. Xander was there, too.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Buffy?" Xander asked.

Buffy figured it'd be better to end their speculation all at once. "Yep. Tony won't quit until he has his answers. I can handle all his Avenger friends except for the giant, green Hulk. At least one on one I can," she said.

"I don't know, Buffy. Captain America is pretty tough. He has accelerated healing like you do. He's also a superb fighter and a master tactician," Xander said, obviously a fan.

"Well, I guess I'll get a good work out," Buffy said with a shrug. After dying and being raised from the dead, nothing really bothered her or worried her too much. She cared more about her friends or Dawn getting her hurt than herself.

Tony came back into the gym with Fury and the two master assassins that worked for him. Behind them was another guy Buffy hadn't met yet. As he got closer, she recognized him. Xander got excited.

"Ah, it's him!" he exclaimed.

"He's extremely pretty," Buffy said with admiration. As he got closer, she saw that he towered over her in height.

When he came up to her and smiled, she felt her face flush. She had never been smooth when it came to meeting the opposite sex. _ Please, don't let me babble, _she thought.

"Ms. Summers, it's nice to meet you again," Nick Fury said, holding out his hand.

She focused on him, ignoring the legend in front of her as she shook Fury's hand. "Is it? I would think nice wouldn't be the word you'd use," she said with a sardonic smile.

Nick grinned. "I love meeting people with special talents," he said. "I don't believe you've met my friend, Captain Steve Rogers. Captain, this is Buffy Summers." He looked at Xander. "I'm sorry."

"This is Xander Harris," Tony introduced. "I don't think I'm introduced him yesterday. He's my new assistant and a close friend of Buffy's."

Xander looked a bit uncomfortable to be the center of attention all of a sudden and gave a small wave. "Nice to be met," he said with a smile. Then he added, "It's good to meet another one-eyed guy. How did you lose yours?" He asked the question no one else was brave or foolish enough to ask. He figured his similar eye patch gave him the right.

"A grenade blast damaged my sight initially," he replied without explaining.

Xander gave him a sympathetic look but didn't comment.

Steve was compelled to ask, "How did you lose yours?"

Buffy looked pained at the reminder. Xander just grinned. "The First Evil in the form of his nasty disciple, Caleb, gauged it out with his hands. He was a real super freak!" Xander shared, shuddering a bit at the memory.

"The First Evil?" Steve asked confused.

"Evil is what I battle. Not criminals," she said with a disdainful sniff and pointed look at Natasha. "Slayers were created to battle vampires and any evil forces that rises. Sunnydale, our home town, was on a hellmouth that drew all kinds of things of evil things. But it would take weeks to tell you about the seven years I spent daily battling, so why don't we move on?"

"I agree," Nick said. "Time for story telling later."

"So what exactly is the plan?" Steve asked.

"I'm tired of Tony's surprise attacks he keeps planning to test me, so we are going to silence any doubts and answer any questions about my physical capabilities once and for all," Buffy said firmly. "Some of you have been to wars and some of you have battled evil men and killed aliens. I spent seven years on a hellmouth fighting nearly every day. I'm not going to keep proving myself to any of you."

Tony looked a bit guilty at her words, but he smiled. "Let's get this party started!" Tony said eagerly, slapping his hands together.

Buffy moved to the boxing ring. Everyone walked toward it. She stepped up in it first and waited to see who would join her.

"Captain, why don't you go first? You're the strongest here," Tony suggested.

Steven frowned and look up at the very small and beautiful woman. He glanced at Natasha. He knew women were capable of great feats, especially in this new world he'd awoken in. However, he didn't think it right to use his strength to hurt them even in practice.

Natasha sensed his hesitation and slipped in the ring. "Why don't we start with me?" she suggested with an eager grin. She had never met a woman that she couldn't defeat.

Tony smiled. He always enjoyed watching the woman use her deadly talent.

Buffy shrugged. "Okay. You don't seem to realize we're not the same, so this may be the best way," she said.

Natasha narrowed her eyes in annoyance at Buffy's comment. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked cooly.

"I am not an ordinary human with extraordinary abilities. You've trained and learned all you've known. I'm sure you've been in real battles and fought many opponents and won. I saw you fight the aliens that invaded, so I know you're gifted," Buffy said, not trying to offend her. "However, I am a slayer. Slayers are created knowing how to fight. No one taught me. My Watcher honed my abilities, but he didn't teach me styles. Everything I know is instinctive, honed by countless battles with demons. Not humans. But demons and monsters you couldn't imagine. The alien invasion was probably the scariest thing you've ever faced. It my world, it was just another day at the office."

The Avengers assembled looked at her, trying to wrap their mind around her words. When they didn't reply, she pulled out the stake she always kept with her and held it up. "This is the main weapon I use to slay. Not a gun."

Tony laughed. "A tiny stick?" he asked incredulously.

"A wooden stake. It's what works on vampires. And I find that anything with a pointing edge will kill just about anything," she replied. She put it away. "I have super strength and heal incredibly fast. I don't get sick. If I die, another slayer will be called to take my place. Slayers have existed for generations." She paused in her explanation. She wished Giles was here. He would do a much better job with his words. Words weren't her thing. She was a person of action.

"I'm not just an extraordinary fighter. Don't presume to know me or what I'm capable of. I've been battling since I was a teen, too. There's no softness in me," Natasha said, fire in her eyes.

Buffy gave her a slight nod of respect. "Let's get this over it." She gestured for Natasha to approach. Buffy decided that they weren't going to be convinced until she gave them a display of power. When Natasha approached her, she didn't move. Normally, when fighting humans, Buffy held back. Hurting humans was foreign to her. However, in this case, she was going to make an exception. A point needed to be made.

Natasha wore her customary black body suit. She smiled in anticipation. She'd never met a woman that she couldn't take down. This slayer wouldn't be any different. As she stepped up, she swung her fist.

Buffy easily dodged the girl's attempt to hit her. She let the girl try a few more times, easily bouncy away from her. In comparison to what Buffy could do, the girl moved in slow motion. However, she didn't comment. She just kept dodging. Finally, she planted her feet and when Natasha stepped closer, she swung her fist with a lot of force. Yet she was still unable to let go completely. But it was enough. Her fist connected to the side of Natasha's temple, and she went down. Buffy peered down at her to see if she would get up.

Steve, Clint, and Nick moved forward in concern. Clint was the first to reach her. "She's out cold," he said. He checked her pulse. It was still strong and steady. He eyed Buffy with a frown.

His look put her on the defensive, and she held up her hands in protest. "Hey, she insisted on fighting me. I figured I needed to make her understand the hard way," Buffy said.

Everyone gave her a wary look. Their looks served to piss her off. "Who's next?" she asked wanting to get this over it.

Steve picked up Natasha and moved her down to a chair. He hated to see women hurt and didn't know how to feel about this new woman with super strength. Natasha began to stir and opened her eyes.

"Is she okay?" Buffy asked.

"She'll be fine," Tony said dismissively. "So who's next?"

Clint sighed. He may as well get this over with. Now that he knew what she was capable of and that her speed was one of her assets, maybe he'd do a bit better than the last time she'd flattened him with one kick. He started to get in the ring with her, when Tony waved him off.

"No, need. We already saw her kick your ass yesterday!" Tony reminded him with a smirk. Everyone looked at Steve. "Captain, you're up!"

Steve frowned, obviously not happy. However, he walked to the ring.

Buffy wasn't very happy either. This guy was just too stunning for words. She felt awkward and intimidated. This guy was not someone she wanted to fight or even spar with.

"Go easy on him, Buffy!" Xander called out with a grin. He gave her two thumbs up. "He's older than he looks!"

Steven smiled at Xander, unoffended. "Ma'am," he said as he stood in front of Buffy.

Buffy looked up at the larger than life bona fide superhero that towered over her. "Hum, I don't think this is necessary," she mumbled.

"Neither do I," Steve said, smiling at her.

"Why don't they fight with weapons? The Captain doesn't like hitting women," Clint suggested, deciding to have mercy on Steve. The guy looked too uncomfortable.

Buffy looked relieved. "Good idea!" she said, latching on to it.

"What weapon do you use beside the wooden stake?" Steve asked curiously.

"Anything. I have this magical scythe that is awesome. Well, Faith has it now. I have used pretty much anything you can hack a demon with. Knives, swords, crossbows. Once I even used a rocket launcher," Buffy said in a babble. She always babbled when she was nervous. This man made her very nervous.

Clint noticed that Buffy wasn't her normal ferocious self with Steve and didn't like it. He wanted her to have that fire that he'd already come to expect. He stepped forward. "Why don't they use swords?" he suggested.

Buffy shrugged. "Sure," she said. "I killed my ex once with a sword," she said casually.

Everyone but Xander looked shocked as she ducked under the ropes to get out of the ring. Xander didn't appreciate their silent judgment. "What she neglects to say was that Angel, her ex, had lost his soul and opened a hell portal that was going to destroy the world. His blood was the only thing that would close it. If she hadn't killed him, none of us would be alive today," Xander explained.

No one spoke for a moment as Buffy straightened up and looked embarrassed. "It was not that dramatic. He came back a few months later. Sure, he was a bit crazed after spending months of torment in a hell dimension, but he got over it," she said quickly. Then winced as she realized she should just stop talking. "Are we going to do this or what?"

Tony chuckled and shook his head. "Does anyone stay dead in your world?" he asked.

Buffy and Xander shared a somber look as they remembered Cordy and Anya. They'd lost countless classmates. Even Wesley who they had fought with so fleetingly had died fighting with Angel. "Yes, they do," Buffy said softly.

Natasha and Clint had stepped over to the wall and grabbed two long swords. They each handed them off to Buffy and Steve and then moved over to the mats. It didn't take them long to realize that Buffy was the real deal. Clint grinned as he watch the transformation in her. She took a deep breath and moved into a fighting stance, holding the blade with cold confidence. The blades clashed with a loud blow. It was a beautiful and deadly dance. Buffy was fast and agile.

Steve grinned in pleasure as he realized he didn't have to worry about hurting the girl. Every since his transformation during the war, he had had to be careful with his new found strength. He was always conscience of what he could do and how easily he could hurt someone. This small slip of a girl, however, swung the sword with determination and skill. He pressed forward, pushing her back. He kicked out and knocked her off her feet. Then he managed to disarm her. Instead of stepping back like his instinct demanded, he glanced at Nick who gave a slight shake of his head. Steve looked down at the unarmed Buffy and moved closer. Before she had a chance to rise to her feet, he swung his sword at her head.

Buffy, like always, reacted by pure instinct. Her hands came up not to ward off or deflect a blow, but her hands moved to capture his sword in her hands. In one move, she stopped his momentum by grabbing it between her open palms. Then before he could recover from his stunned amazement, she was on her feet, knocking the sword from his grip. Then she didn't hesitate to deliver a roundhouse kick to his chest that pushed him back several feet. Unlike Clint, however, he did not come off the ground.

Steve's eyes widened as he felt the power behind the kick.

Nick Fury's mind tried to take him what he had witnessed. The girl was not a science experiment. She was not an alien. She was 100% human and 100% American. He must find a way to get her working for him!

Tony whistled and clapped. "That's what I'm talkin' about! Wow!" he exclaimed, impressed.

Steven held out his hand to Buffy. "That was a pleasure, ma'am," he said, giving her a warm smile.

Buffy had never had a guy smile so warmly at her after she'd got the better of him. "Ah, thanks?" she replied, feeling once again awkward.

Clint noticed immediately the change in her. He chuckled. The Captain obviously affected her. "How about I get a turn?" he asked. "Did you say you are familiar with a crossbow?"

"Yes, pretty much everyone I know is. Even Xander. Arrows are handy to kill vampires from a distance," Buffy explained.

"How about just a bow and arrow?" Clint inquired. He walked over to a cabinet to get out a set. It wasn't his, but it would do.

"Okay," Buffy said in resignation. She knew that if she didn't satisfy their curiosity completely, this would keep happening.

The guys set up a target on the other side of the room. Tony stood next to Buffy. "You know he's called the Hawk. Bows and arrows are his thing. He never misses," Tony told her.

"Neither do I," Buffy replied. She watched Clint closely. He was composed and focused. She admired his intensity. She wasn't surprised when his arrow hit the mark dead center.

She stepped forward. "Give me a blindfold," she said.

"What?" Tony asked with a frown.

"I need something to cover my eyes," she said. Xander stepped forward and gave her the bandana that he kept in his back pocket for work. She glanced once at the target and then covered her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Clint asked in confusion. "You can't see the target."

"I don't need to. I saw it once. It's enough," she said confidently. This was one thing Giles had trained her to do.

Clint was impressed when she managed to hit the target on her first attempt. He was going to have to try that. When Buffy took off the bandana, he held out his hand for it. "I want to try that!"

She grinned at him, the first real smile she'd given him. He blinked. She was so pretty. He put the bandana around his eyes after looking at the target a minute. Clint had not missed a target in so long, he'd taken his skill for granted. This was a challenge for him. He was determined to not embarrass himself in front of the slayer. He took aim and let the arrow loose. Then he took off his blindfold. Smiling in satisfaction as he observed his work, he handed the bandana back to Xander.

"Nice," Buffy said, smiling in approval. He hadn't missed either.

Nick clapped his hand. "It's obvious we have some very skilled assets here," he said.

Xander stepped forward, holding out his cell phone. "Uh, Buffy. It's Faith. She's got a situation in Ohio," Xander said, eying the audience warily.

Buffy took the phone. "Hey, Faith," she said. "What's up?"

Faith looked out at the massive damage and the wide array of demons surrounding the Hulk. "We have a problem. There's this giant raging Hulk here, and his presence is stirring up the hellmouth somehow. He's like a magnet. It's daytime and the vamps are not out, but demons I've never seen before are crawling out of the woodworks. We've got to get this guy out of here. The girls tell me he's not this giant green thing all the time, but I don't know," Faith said unsure.

Buffy glanced at Tony. Then she told Faith, "We'll be there soon. Don't engage him. Fall back." She hung up the phone and handed it back to Xander. She looked at Tony. "I think I know where your missing friend is," she told him with a smile.

"Banner?" Tony asked. "You know where Banner is?"

"Yep. He's at the hellmouth," Buffy said.

Tony looked at her then at Nick then back at her. "What?"

******_To Be Continued****** _

_I hope you enjoyed this as much I enjoyed writing it! I just started a Twitter account for those interested in discussing our favorite shows and characters. Find me at lateVMlover and I'll follow you right back!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Since so many of you seem to be enjoying this story, I thought I'd give you an update! Fun times ahead! Enjoy...**

Chapter 7: Avengers in the Hellmouth

******_Where We Left off******_

Nick was not expecting this. "Excuse me. Did you say Dr. Banner is currently in your hellmouth in Ohio? How? Why? How did the Hulk end up in such a place?" he asked Buffy, his mind whirling with too many questions.

"I don't know how he got there. Faith says that his presence is having some weird affect on the hellmouth. He's stirring it up. She's been battling him for the past two days. She just realized today who he was. She thought he was just a new demon," Buffy explained.

Tony was busy consulting with JARVIS to find out how Bruce ended up in Ohio. "According to what JARVIS has found out, Bruce spoke at a college in Oberlin. He rented a car and drove there from the airport. He made it to his speaking engagement, so he must've run into trouble on his way back to the airport," Tony explained.

"He must've ran into some vamps," Xander said. "They got him all riled up."

Nick Fury didn't like going into a situation where he didn't know all the players or how to control the situation. "We'll have to assemble a full team. The Hulk is never easy to deal with even without all these new variables," Nick said.

"I already have a team in place. They are more than equipped to deal with the situation," Buffy said coolly. She wasn't about to let the government try to take over her hellmouth. Even if she was technically retired.

"Banner is one of ours," Nick said flatly. "We are going in."

Buffy stepped up to him. "Listen, you don't know what a hellmouth is or the situation we will be walking into. Your people are not prepared to deal with this. Mine are," Buffy said. "I've seen what happens when the military tries to get involved in fighting demons. It never ends well."

"Just exactly who are your people?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.

Buffy looked over at Xander as if seeking his advice. He gave her a slight nod. She sighed in resignation. "I told you that Willow was a powerful witch. Well, she used the magic from my scythe to turn all potential slayers in the world into slayers. Five years ago when I shut the hellmouth in Sunnydale, slayers all over the world were awakened. When a new potential reaches sixteen, she comes into her powers. We've been gathering them up and training them every since," Buffy revealed.

Nick and the Avengers all looked slightly startled at her words. "You're telling me that you have an entire army of slayers that are as strong and gifted as you are?" he asked, trying to conceal his excitement.

"No one is as gifted as Buffy," Xander said with a grin.

"Don't even think about it!" Buffy warned.

"What?" Nick asked.

"You are not getting your hands on my slayers without my permission!" Buffy said firmly.

"Just how many slayers are we talking about?" Nick asked.

"That's not important now," Tony said, interrupting. "We need to get to Ohio, so we can get through to Banner."

"Do you think you can?" Nick asked. He pulled out his cell and sent a text.

"I'll do my best," Tony said.

Buffy looked at Xander. "Should we tell Willow?" she asked.

"Well, if you don't, she'll be pissed, but I don't think you'll need her. Not with the superfriends here lending a hand," he said, smiling at Captain America and company.

Buffy looked at Tony. "How soon can we be ready to go? It would be better to deal with your friend before the sun goes down. We don't need to deal with the vamps that will come out on top of all the demons already in the mix," Buffy said. She looked at Clint. "Bring your wooden arrows just in case."

He grinned. "Sounds like fun," he said.

Natasha got to her feet. "I've always wanted to meet Dracula," she said with a cool smile.

"I've met him. He was a bit full of himself," Buffy said airily.

Xander had to bit his lip to quell his instinctive desire to defend his temporary master. He grimaced. "I'm going to go catch Will up to speed," he said. Tony nodded and waved him off.

Agent Hill came into the room. "What can I do for you, sir?" she asked Nick.

"We have located Banner. He's not in control. We need to assemble a team. We will be dealing not just with the Hulk but with demons and other creatures we've never encountered. Prepare the team," Nick told her. The agent nodded and turned to carry out his orders.

"So these demons, can they be killed by normal means?" Steve asked Buffy.

She nodded. "Normally, I go for the heart or cut off their heads," she replied.

Steve nodded. "Good to know," he said. He never thought enlisting to fight the Nazis would one day lead him to battling aliens. Now he found that demons really did live in this world. His grandmother would probably be quite proud to know that his time going to Sunday school hadn't been entirely wasted.

******_Oberlin, OH-The Hellmouth******_

Faith groaned in frustration. "A storm front is moving in! The sun is disappearing," she said to Robin. "We may have the vampires coming out."

"The Hulk has ripped up all the trees shading the area," Robin pointed out.

"It won't matter if the sun isn't shining," Meredith pointed out. Meredith was one of the only Ohio natives on Faith's team. She was older than most slayers and a mother. She was a thinker more than a speaker, so Faith always tended to listen when she talked.

"Buffy is on her way with Tony Spark. He's a friend of the Hulk's," Faith said.

"My husband will be pissed if I don't make it to pick up the kids," Meredith said as she beheaded a demon that was trying to take a bite out of Zara, another slayer.

"May want to call him. It's going to be a long day!" Faith said. The Hulk hadn't tried to actually kill any of the slayers, but he'd managed to break some bones of more than a few. Whenever they got too close, he'd chuck a tree at them or send them flying with a swift kick or hit. Faith had called in the reserved team. Normally, though, if an apocalypse was brewing, there were enough signs foretelling that they were prepared with enough bodies. They'd been unprepared to deal with the Hulk and the affect he was having on the demon population.

"I think the cavalry has arrived," Robin said, pointing at two small planes coming their way. He had sent Xander their location, so they weren't surprised to see the incoming birds. "Xander said Tony Stark was bringing SHIELD and some of his friends."

"Great, amateurs with guns going to show us how it's done," Faith said sarcastically.

"My husband may forgive my lateness if I get an autograph from Captain America," Meredith said with barely suppressed excitement. "Do you think he's with Buffy?"

"Please, he's such a throw back!" Zara said with disdain. "I'd totally take the Hawk guy. He's yummy! I always did love Robin Hood!"

The girls snickered and watched the planes descend. Faith called in her slayers. She had a bit over thirty that weren't injured. Nearly ten were out commission. With the reinforcements coming with Buffy, Faith expected they would manage. There were more normally stationed at the hellmouth. However, things had been so calm lately that Faith had given several some R & R time. Others she had sent to Giles. The rest she'd sent out to various other hot spots across the country. Naturally, things would get interesting while her numbers were low.

When Agent Hill set the plan down a few yards from where they could spot the Hulk, Buffy got to her feet. Fury had brought a team of his agents in the second plane. Buffy tried to tell him it wasn't a good idea, but he wouldn't listen. No matter how skilled or well trained a person was, they usually were ill-prepared to deal with demons. When everyone filed out of the plane, Buffy looked at Fury and said, "Tell your guys that a knife would be more effective than a gun if they get up close and personal with any demons. Bullets won't kill vampires, and sometimes they won't work on the demons." When he nodded in acknowledgment, she turned to Steve. "Captain, get your men to flank the Hulk on the east. Faith will bring up the west. Banner and I will come in directly from the north." She turned to Tony. "Do you think you can get through to your friend?"

"I hope so," Tony said.

Clint surveyed the women who were not far from the Hulk. They were all engaged in battle. "These are all friends of yours?" he asked, impressed. Women of all different nationalities and sizes were engaged in battle. They looked so young. A few couldn't have been eighteen. He wasn't sure he liked seeing such young women put themselves in such danger. However, they seemed adept at handling the various monsters that seemed to be everywhere. Where were they coming from?

Buffy nodded and pointed. "The one with the scythe is Faith. She's in charge of the slayers now. The guy fighting next to her is Robin, her lover and a son of a slayer. He is perfectly human and has trained all his life to fight vampires," she said. She looked at Xander.

"Don't worry about me. I'll stay in the back guarding Mr. Fury," Xander said with a grin.

"Some of these girls seems barely eighteen," Clint observed.

"At least five are under," Buffy said with a shrug. "I was sixteen the first time I stopped an apocalypse. And I didn't have an army of slayers helping me. Just Xander, Giles, and Willow. She wasn't a witch then."

"And Angel," Xander reminded her.

A smile played around her mouth as she nodded. "And Angel," she said softly. She and Angel had a love that had been sweet and innocent the way all first loves should be. It was just Buffy's bad luck that things turned so tragic. They both had accepted, though, that it wasn't meant to be. Angel would always have a part of her heart as she would his, but they both knew friendship was the best they'd ever have with one another.

"They look like they know what they're doing," Steve observed.

"Impressive," Tony agreed. "Well, let's get this party started!"

Buffy smiled and started forward into the fray. She had a battle ax with her. Natasha was a step behind her. Immediately, they were attacked. Buffy watched Natasha, who fought with twin blades. After a few seconds, she relaxed. The Black Widow knew how to fight dirty, so she would be okay. However, the soldiers Fury had brought weren't as prepared. Buffy shook her head. They weren't her problem. She fought her way to Faith.

"Welcome back, B," Faith said with a grin. She threw the scythe at Buffy, who instinctively caught it and handed off her weapon to Faith.

The weapon, as always, filled her with power and confidence. She grinned. "It's like I never left," she replied. She swung the weapon and beheaded a demon. "I need you to move the girls to the west of the Hulk. Captain America is bringing his team to cover the east."

Faith snickered. "You're running in lofty circles these days, B," Faith said.

Buffy grinned. "Green doesn't become you, Faith!" she said. The two moved back to back as they began the familiar dance.

Tony had encased his hand only in a piece of his Iron Man gear. He used it to burn and take down any demon that came across him. He found himself dunking and moving out of the way more than he did exchanging blows. He knew he was vulnerable without his suit. Instead of feeling fear, he felt exhilarated. Not wearing the suit limited his options, but he liked knowing that he was more than just a suit.

Nick Fury stood off to the distance to watch the scene. His eye took in every detail. The organized synchrony of Summers and her slayers was impressive. She used her scythe like it was an extension of her body. Then she surprised him when she casually handed it off to another girl, who used it just as effortlessly. He frowned and looked at Xander. "I don't understand. Why did she toss that magnificent weapon to another?"

"That is a weapon only a slayer can wield. She pulled it from a rock kind of like King Arthur. It's ancient and calls to them in a way no other weapon does," Xander explained. "Although it's technically Buffy's, she's not selfish with it. She left it with Faith the last time we visited. All the girls get a chance to feel what it's like to fight with it."

Nick wasn't sure he understood, but he nodded. He watched as Buffy and Stark approached Banner.

The Hulk surveyed the new arrivals. All the new people made him antsy. However, the presence of his friends did register. He roared a greeting to them. He watched as Tony approached following a girl. The girl captivated him. For some reason, she seemed different than the others. There were so many of them. He didn't really know why they were there or why they kept fighting all those irksome little demons. He watched as two twin demons jumped in front of her. One knocked Tony to the ground. The girl kicked out and knocked one to the ground. Then she pulled out a knife and stabbed the other. It fell. He watched as a weapon was tossed to her. He roared his approval as she sliced one of his irritants in half. That she was friend and not foe registered through his rage filled mind. He gave his Hulk smile and roared a greeting as they drew nearer.

Tony got up and approached the Hulk. "Hey, Big Guy. What are you doing?" Tony asked with a smile.

The Hulk roared another friendly roar and kicked a demon that dared get too close to him. Tony grinned. "How about we let Banner take over now, so he and I can go get a drink? I don't really find the Buck-eyed state all that entertaining," Tony said. He noticed the Hulk still as if seeking to obey his request. Before he got very far, however, they were interrupted.

"Watch out, Tony!" Buffy yelled.

Tony was knocked down once again by a demon that seemed to weigh a ton. He squirmed until he could reach the knife he also had brought. Grabbing it, he maneuvered until he could pull it out and began stabbing at the demon.

Nearby, Natasha and Clint were back to back fighting off demons they'd never faced before. "I'm experiencing some deja vu," Clint said as he let another arrow fly.

"It's like New York but even weirder," Natasha said. "At least they're on the ground. Makes it easier."

She got hit in the face by a demon and winced. "Then again, it makes it easier for them, too!" She kicked out and knocked the demon back. Clint let go another arrow and pierced the ugly thing.

Faith looked over at Captain America, who was effortlessly fighting two demons at once. She admired his form. "Now _he _can fight with me any time!" she exclaimed with a grin. She watched one of his men get speared in the stomach by a demon's large claws and winced. "Captain! Your man!" Steve turned to help his fallen man. "Robin, we need to move closer to the Hulk and push back the demons surrounding him. I'm not sure if they're trying to worship at his feet or kill him. Either way, they're making him angrier."

Robin nodded and called out orders.

The Hulk reached out and knocked the demons back who had surrounded Tony. He reached out and picked up his friend.

"I'm okay, Big Guy," Tony assured him. He wiggled until he got his arms free. "You can put me down."

Suddenly, it began to rain.

"Great!" Buffy said in disgust. She looked up and saw the sky get even darker. "This is not good! It's dark enough to bring out the vamps!"

Tony patted the Hulk's hand. "Set me down please," he said. "Gently!" The Hulk obeyed and sat him down.

No one seemed immuned to the demons' attacks. Nick and Xander were a few yards away from the thick of the battle. A stray demon came up to them. Xander had a sword, and Nick a gun. Nick shot the demon a few times, but it only served to make it angry. The demon was about seven feet tall. It had horns and a thick neck. It used its powerful arms to hit Fury in the face. He hit the ground hard. Xander moved in front of him and swung his sword. The thing was too tall to easily reach its head, so he settled for whacking off its arm. It screamed in rage.

Nick Fury jumped to his feet in time to see Xander battle the demon. The young man's courage was impressive. However, it was obvious he didn't have his friend's technique with a sword. Nevertheless, he managed to cut of the monster's arm. Then the rain began coming down in torrents.

"We've got to fall back!" Xander shouted. He stabbed the sword hard into the demon's stomach and pulled it out. Then he turned and moved to Fury's side. "It's getting dark."

"It's not even four o'clock," Nick said. "It's not dark."

"Dark enough to bring out the vampires," Xander said knowingly.

Faith groaned in disgust as she saw the first wave of vampires began creeping out of the nearby forest. They were cautious, testing the effect of the dim sunshine. Thunder roared. "Things are about to get really ugly!" she called out to Robin. He looked grim.

Nearby, Buffy braced herself. "The vamps have decided to join the party," she informed Tony.

Tony glanced in concern. Then he looked up at the Hulk. "We're never going to get Banner back if these attacks don't subside," he said. "He's fueled by rage. As long as he's angry, Banner can't take over."

"I think he's about to get very angry," she said. She ran to join her sister slayers as the mostly vanquished demons were replaced by vampires.

Tony blanched. He looked up at his friend. "Don't you wish you'd stayed in New York?" he asked.

The Hulk roared. Those annoying ankle biters were back. Just seeing them fueled his rage. He clenched his fists, prepared to do battle.

*****_To Be Continued*****_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Avengers vs. Vampires

_*******Where We Left Off*******_

Buffy grimaced as she saw the vampires moving in. She knew they had to be kept away from the Hulk or Banner would never be able to gain control. She glanced over at Clint and Natasha, who seemed to be faring well against a duo of demons they were battling. It was obvious they were used to fighting together. Clint was amazingly fast with his bow. Buffy found herself almost mesmerized by his hypnotic movements. Then a voice called out, "Buffy!"

Robin was calling her name. She turned and saw him pointing. The human soldiers Fury had brought were dropping like flies. As Buffy expected, they were ill prepared to deal with the supernatural. She knew the vampires would be unable to resist them. She turned to Fury, who was several yards back. "Get your soldiers out of here!" she yelled. Before she could see if he was going to obey, the sky got darker. She knew there was no way to keep the vampires from coming out now.

Tony stood slightly in front of the Hulk and watched in dismay as dozens of more vampires joined the party. It was his first time to see one, and they were much uglier than all those Dracula movies made them out to be. There presence served to enrage his friend, who instinctively moved to protect Tony. He pushed Tony behind him. Tony didn't know whether to be flattered or annoyed. He decided it was a good thing that the Hulk knew who his friends were. It made dealing with him easier.

The Hulk looked down at the creatures he'd been battling for the past few days in anger. They never seemed to stop. He hit the ground hard to demonstrate his rage and roared at them. The vampires had learned to avoid him. Instead, they targeted the humans. He watched the blonde who had approached him with Tony as she killed one after another. She turned back to back with the other who'd been a nuisance to him the past few days. However, they fought together, so he didn't interfere. He picked up a vampire in one hand and ripped off its head with the other.

Tony coughed as vampire dust covered him. He looked up at his friend. "Watch it, Big Guy! That's really gross!" he called out. He wondered if the light from his hand would be bright enough to kill a vampire. He experimented, burning a vampire. It didn't kill it, but it hurt the creature. He picked another target and kept doing what he could to stop their advance. He made a mental note to begin working more with ultra violet rays.

Buffy and Faith fought the vampires that kept coming. "Why is there so many?" Buffy asked.

Faith tossed her the scythe. "I have no idea. Things have been so quiet lately that I sent many of the regulars here on some R & R. The rest I sent to Giles, who sent them other places," she said. She staked a vampire as Buffy used the scythe to slice the head off of another.

A demon that hadn't been killed yet attacked Buffy. It was twice the size of her. When she swung her scythe at it, his armored arm came up to knock her weapon away. She almost lost her grip on the scythe but managed to recover. She kicked it and pain shot up her leg. The thing seemed to be made of solid stone. "This guy is a brute!" The demon managed to get a hit in, stunning her a minute. Before she could recover, it knocked her to the ground. Faith reached down to help her. Buffy handed off her scythe and turned to pummel the demon with her fists.

Tony decided to lend Buffy a hand and fired his hand laser at the demon's back. It bellowed in rage and turned to Tony. Before it could get to him, the Hulk used his fist like a hammer and beat the demon over and over. Then he kicked its dead carcass, knocking down slayers and vampires alike with its flying corpse.

"I think it's dead, but thanks for the assist!" Buffy said dryly, smiling up at the giant green Hulk. "He's kind of cute, don't you think, Faith?"

"You really do like darkness in your guys!" Faith exclaimed with a chuckle.

The Hulk decided that he didn't like the irritating biters attacking his new blonde friend and reached down and picked her up from their midst.

"Woe! What are you doing?" Buffy asked on a gasp. It became apparent when the Hulk cradled her protectively in the curve of one of his arms and used his other to smash down the vampires fighting Faith.

"I think you have a new hero, B," Faith said, snickering. Then her attention was turned as Meredith got boxed in by a trio of vamps. She ran toward her.

"Okay, Big Guy, put Buffy down!" Tony shouted up at him.

The Hulk shook his head and turned his back on Tony. He ran off from the fighting with Buffy in his arms.

For the first time in her life, Buffy was truly at a loss. This was not something she expected to happen. It was obvious the Hulk thought he was protecting her. He was determined to take her away from the action. "How do I get myself into these situations?" Buffy asked.

The Hulk gave her a Hulk like smile as he sat her down on the ground. There was no vampires nearby. Buffy could barely see her friends off in the distance. "Listen, I'm a vampire slayer. I fight vampires. It's my job to fight. We have to go back!" she told him. She turned to walk back to the fighting. Hulk roared at her and picked her back up. He gave her a disapproving frown.

Buffy decided she should try to call Dr. Banner for assistance. "Dr. Banner, are you in there?" she asked, looking into the Hulk's eyes. She reached up and grabbed a hold of the Hulk's finger, hoping to sooth him with a touch. He sat her back down on the ground. She kept a hold of his finger. "It's okay, Banner. You can come out now. There's no danger," she coaxed.

Hulk stilled, his anger leaving him at her touch. Buffy's eyes widened as she saw his face flicker and began to change. A bare chested guy around Tony's age was there for a moment. He looked bemused; then he was attacked from behind by a vampire. With a mighty roar, the Hulk was back. Buffy sighed and used the opportunity to run back to the fighting. She knew that her new giant, green friend could easily handle the lone vampire.

Tony had made his way to Fury and Xander. Both men were fighting off vampires. He helped by burning their backsides with his laser.

"You need a stake!" Xander called out as he staked the vampire he was fighting. Then he tossed his stake to Fury, who instinctively caught it. He jabbed the vampire in the chest. When it didn't turn to dust, he frowned in confusion. "The heart! You gotta get the heart!" Xander informed him. Nick pulled out the stake and tried again. This time the vampire turned to dust. He shook his head. He didn't think he'd ever get used to this. However, it probably did make clean up much easier.

"Nick, your guys are getting slaughtered," Tony said. They were a few yards away from the main fighting. "You should take them out of here and let the slayers handle this." He watched the girls as they fought and staked vampires with a practiced ease.

Captain America kept using his shield to behead them, having found that most effective in killing the creatures. Clint's bow was holding strong against them. However, Natasha was finding her knives and guns didn't help defeat the new enemy. Tony knew his friends could adapt, though, to this newest challenge and wasn't too concerned about them.

"Why didn't you arm your people with wooden stakes?" Xander asked with a disapproving frown. "Buffy told you that was her main weapon of choice."

Nick shook his head. "That seemed so preposterous," he admitted. Agent Hill was battling next to a slayer. He watched as the slayer threw his agent a wooden stake. He felt pride as she effortlessly caught and staked the vampire. "But I guess we're going to have to work on a new type of training."

"No, you don't. This isn't your world," Xander said with a frown. "Buffy and Faith will never allow you to interfere here. The last time the military got involved in a hellmouth it was disastrous. A lot of human lives were lost. We have more than enough slayers to handle anything that happens here."

"Well, where are they?" Tony wondered.

"Things have been quiet here lately, so Faith has probably sent them other places," Xander said. "We have a thousand trained slayers that we can call on. Believe me, your agents are not needed here."

Nick's eye reflected his surprise at Xander's reveal. "A thousand? You have a thousand women that can do this?" he asked indicating the fighting field.

"Well, there's more than that out there, but Willow's only managed to track down that many. She quit looking. When we decided to settle down in New York, she put up a covert website that will attract any slayers seeking help or answers. She decided to let them come to her," Xander said. "She changed things so now all potential slayers are activated when they reach fifteen or sixteen."

"My God!" Nick replied, his mind filled with the endless possibilities. His bosses hadn't been very enthusiastic about his Avenger initiative. Tony was too unpredictable. Thor was an alien and his allegiance suspect, especially considering Loki was his brother. The Hulk was uncontrollable. However, when Loki brought in aliens bent on destroying, no one could deny how effective the Avengers were. His Avengers initiative had grudgingly been accepted because the results were undeniable. Now, however, he saw more options. These women were untapped potential that could be used to protect earth from the next alien invasion. He had to find a way to convince these women to become a part of SHIELD.

"How can I convince them to work for me?" he asked Xander.

"They have a calling to fight vampires, not be used as soldiers to fight American wars," Xander said.

"What if they weren't used that way?" Nick suggested.

"Talk to Giles. If you can convince him, he'll do the work for you," Xander said.

"Who is Giles?" Nick asked.

"He used to be their librarian," Tony said with a grin. "Officially, he is Buffy's Watcher."

"A Watcher?" Nick asked.

"A guy that's an expert in all things demony that trains slayers. When the First Evil blew up the Watcher's Council, we lost most of them. Giles is back in England with Andrew training new Watcher recruits," Xander explained. "He is who Buffy and Faith trust the most. Talk to him. That's your best bet."

Nick nodded, filing away the information. He winced as one of his men got bit by a vampire before a slayer staked it in the back. "Agent Hill!" he called out, getting her attention. "Bring our people back! Retreat!"

She nodded and began moving those fighting near her back.

"Captain, bring your men back!" he called out to Steve. Steve nodded and barked out orders to the men he had around him.

Nick realized that Buffy had been right. They weren't prepared. Fighting the demons had been more like fighting the alien's in New York City, but vampires were different. The fact that they wanted to drain his men of blood made their threat even creepier. "Where is the Hulk?" he asked Tony.

"He ran off with Buffy away from the fighting," Tony announced with a grin.

Both men looked at him in surprise. "Come again?" Nick asked.

"The Hulk carried her off in his arms like she was a baby and ran that way," Tony said, pointing. They looked and saw Buffy running away from the Hulk, back toward the action. "Looks like she escaped or managed to convince him to let her go."

"Why did he do that?" Nick asked in confusion.

Tony shrugged. "Beats me. I think he thought he was protecting her. He beat the demon who attacked her to a pulp, kicked its dead carcass, and then snatched her up," Tony said, chuckling.

"I'm going to text Willow. She should come. She can help," Xander said, pulling out his phone.

"We've got to find away to calm down the Hulk, so we can get Banner back," Nick said. "These vampires enrage him." They watched as the Hulk jumped into the middle of the fighting and began picking up vampires. He would shake them, roar angrily at them, then pop off their heads.

Xander grinned. "Man, I wish I could do that! His technique is quite effective," Xander said.

"Yes, but he keeps kicking the slayers back, too. The collateral damage with him is always tremendous," Nick said.

Down on the field, Buffy looked up at the Hulk with a frown. "Quit kicking my girls!" she yelled up at him. He gave her a curious glance. She pointed to the women around her. "These are mine. _Mine_! Don't kick them!"

"I don't think the dumb beast speaks English," Faith said with a snicker.

When the Hulk bent down and got in Faith's face and roared angrily at her, it became clear he understood her insult and didn't like it. "Woe! I'm sorry! No offense meant!" Faith quickly said, holding up her hands in surrender.

The sky got darker. The rain kept coming down. "This rain sucks!" Buffy complained as she wipe her face on her wet shirt. It was pointless.

"Well, at least there's enough grass here to keep the field mostly free of mud," Faith said. She drop kicked a vampire. The Hulk caught the vamp before it fell to the ground and ripped off its head. "Hey, that was my kill!" she yelled at him.

Steve appeared next to the two slayers. He looked up at the Hulk. "Hulk, guard the perimeter over there!" he ordered, pointing at the main entrance where the vampires where coming through.

The Hulk roared an acknowledgment and ran to follow the Captain's orders.

"Neat party trick. What else do you do?" Buffy asked him with a grin.

"Dr. Banner's in there somewhere. I've found that if I keep the orders simple and they allow the Hulk to do violence, he'll obey," Steve replied.

"I don't get why the vamps are out in such force. This isn't an apocalypse," Buffy said with a frown as more vampires appeared to replace the ones recently killed. She could tell the girls were getting tired. "How long have you been fighting?" she asked Faith.

"We've been fighting continuously since the Hulk appeared. This morning the demons showed up," Faith explained. "The Hulk's presence is doing something freaky to the hellmouth. If we can get him to leave, things will probably go back down to a manageable level."

"The girls are getting tired," Buffy observed. She staked a vampire then turned and stake the one Steve was fighting.

"Thank you, ma'am," he said bowing his head slightly in acknowledgment. These women were extraordinary. He watched as Faith and Buffy fought back to back. It was almost like they were one person sharing space. They continuously traded off that magnificent weapon with the blood red blade.

All of a sudden the lightening grew brighter and the thunder roared. The noise was so deafening for a minute that all the fighting ceased. The ground shook as something landed hard. It seemed to have come out of the lightening.

Steve grinned as he realized who had joined them. "Thor!" he called out.

Thor smiled and waved at his friend. "Looks like you guys are having fun without me!" he exclaimed. A vampire pounced on him, and he used his hammer to knock it back.

Nick and Tony walked closer to the Asgardian. Tony grinned. "You're just in time!" he told Thor.

Now the fun would really start.

*******_To Be Continued********_

_My favorite Avenger has arrived! Hope you're enjoying the battle still. One more battle chapter coming up next! Thanks for reading and reviewing!_


	9. Chapter 9

**I feel like I should clarify something that I thought was obvious. I do NOT intend on any romantic encounters with Buffy and the Hulk or Dr. Banner. I was thinking of King Kong when I wrote that scene with Buffy and the Hulk. I just thought it'd be funny. The Hulk is NOT Banner really. He is not going to have romantic feelings. However, he will feel drawn to Buffy and want to protect her. This will not necessarily translate over to Dr. Banner. Dr. Banner is Tony's age, so I don't see any romantic potential there.**

Chapter 9: An Alien and a Witch

_******Same Scoobie Time, Same Scoobie Place******_

Thor took in the new scene in a glance. He shook his head in bemusement as he waved at his friends.

"It looks like you've made some new friends in my absence," he said to Fury and Tony. He stepped forward and held out his hand. Nick shook it.

Tony grinned. "We've met some new super heroes called vampire slayers," Tony said. He pointed. "Those are vampires."

"I see. Distasteful creatures," Thor said with a dismissive sniff. He watched as a few dozen woman engaged in tremendous feats of valor. "Impressive warriors. They remind me of my old friend Sif back home. Is there no male vampire slayers?"

"Only women," Tony said.

Xander stood there star struck as he gazed at Thor. The demi-god had a presence that spoke of power and confidence. When Thor's glance struck Xander, he flinched.

"Who is your one-eyed friend? A relative?" he asked Nick.

Nick frowned at the question. "No. He's a friend of the Slayer Buffy. He works for Tony," Nick explained.

"Xander! Watch out!" Buffy called out as she saw some vampires trying to sneak up behind him.

Xander turned and instinctively ducked, narrowly missing the pounce of a blood sucker. Nick threw his arm out to punch one of the vampires in the face. Buffy made it to Xander's side and engaged the vampire that was trying to attack him.

Thor watched, impressed with the tiny woman's fighting skills. "She's so small," he observed. He blinked in surprise when the creature she was battling turned to dust. "Her blows turn the creatures to dirt? Is that magic?"

Tony snickered at his assumption and lasered the other vampire for kicks. Nick was fighting it. Buffy staked it in the back, causing it to turn to dust. Buffy turned to the newcomer and answered his question. "Vampires turn to dust if you aim for the heart or cut off their heads. No magic required," she said.

"Ah," Thor said in understanding. He observed the battle field. "Would you like some help?"

Buffy couldn't resist rolling her eyes at the guy's arrogance, but since he was so beautiful and flew in on lightening, she decided to be nice. "Sure. By all means," she said, gesturing.

"Buffy, do you know who that is?" Xander whispered to her with barely suppressed excitement. "Andrew is going to die of jealousy when I tell him I met Thor!"

Thor took several steps closer to the battle. When a vampire approached him, he swung his hammer, and the vampire went airborne. Then he raised his hammer and called down lightening. "If you're not a vampire, you might want to hit the ground!" he announced in his booming voice. The slayers glanced at him but didn't obey.

Buffy realized what he was about to do and yelled, "Get down everyone!" Instantly, the slayers all stopped and moved back from the vampires they were fighting. When Thor pointed the hammer at the vamps, they jumped to their stomachs.

Thor directed the lightening at the vampires. The bolts went through their hearts, killing them all at once.

The battle was suddenly over. Everyone stood there in amazement for a minute. It felt kind of anti-climatic. The girls got up from the ground where they'd mostly dived for cover. Faith grinned as she approached.

"Man, B, your new friends can come play with me any day of the week!" Faith exclaimed with an admiring look at Thor.

"Now that was a handy little trick!" Buffy said to Thor. "Thanks!"

"It was my pleasure," Thor said with a regal nod of his head.

"We need to get the sun back. That will keep the vamps from coming back," Buffy said with a frown as she looked up at the rain.

"Aren't you going to introduce me, B?" Faith asked.

"Oh, sorry!" Buffy said. "Guys, this is Faith. She's the slayer in charge now that I've mostly retired."

Faith waved. "We used to be the chosen two before Willow got down with the magics. Now we're not so special anymore," Faith said.

"You're still special," Xander said loyally.

"Faith, this is Nick Fury, head of SHIELD. This is Tony Stark, and I think the new arrival is Thor," Buffy said, a note of doubt in her voice.

"Yes, this is Thor," Nick Fury said, barely glancing at the new arrival. He had other things on his mind and quickly stepping up to the new slayer. She seemed much more approachable than Buffy. "I'm so glad to meet you. It's an impressive display of fighting you and your slayers have going on."

"We do okay," Faith said. Robin came up to stand next to her. "This is Robin Woods. He's the main reason the girls fight so well. He's much more disciplined than I am. He trains them."

Robin held out his hand and shook Nick's. "It's good to meet you," he said. "We appreciate the assistance."

"It's the least we could do since our friend here stirred up your hellmouth," Tony said.

"Hellmouth? What is that?" Thor asked.

"You're standing on one," Buffy said with a small smile. It widened as Thor looked startled and looked around for signs of hell.

A roar was heard in the distance. They turned and saw Hulk battling some more vampires.

"What is going on with the hellmouth?" Buffy wondered. "I wish Giles was here to give me an answer."

"I called Willow. She should be here soon," Xander said. "Maybe she'll figure it out."

"It'll take her hours to get her from New York," Tony pointed out.

"If she took a plane," Buffy said with a smirk.

"Can she fly?" Thor wondered.

"Sometimes," Buffy said. "But she can also teleport. It's faster than flying." Nick and Tony both looked skeptical at this but refrained from commenting.

Steve, Clint, and Natasha joined them, greeting Thor. He grinned at his friends.

"It's good to see you all," he said, greeting them. "You have tiny women that can fight monsters that turn to dust. And now a Willow that can teleport! I've missed too much!"

"It's a brave new world," Steve said with a smile. He was used to things being so different than what he was used to that he usually just rolled with it.

"What brings you back to earth? Is Loki giving your trouble again?" Natasha asked.

"No, Father has him well contained. I came to see Jane. I neglected her the last time I was on earth. I'm hoping to gain her forgiveness," Thor said. "Pepper told me where you all were."

"That's a nifty trick you can do," Buffy said. "I like your hammer. May I?" She held out her hand for his weapon.

"None but I can wield it," Thor said arrogantly.

Buffy rolled her eyes and shared a look with Faith. "Fine, be that way. I have my own god hammer anyway. It's good for beating the faces of hell gods in," she said with a snicker as she recalled Glory.

Thor wasn't sure how to take her words. Humans often had references he didn't quite get. Maybe she was jesting.

Xander grinned, knowing the look on Thor's face. "She's not joking," he said to Thor.

"None but I can wield Mjolnir," Thor informed her.

"Hey, can you use your powers to stop the rain?" Buffy asked him.

"Of course," he said. He held up the hammer and used its magic to stop the rain by dispensing the storm clouds. Within moments the sun came out. It was only five o'clock, so sunset wasn't for a few more hours.

The vampires battling Hulk turned to ash. He looked down at them in confusion. Roaring in disappointment, he turned toward his friends. He spotted the irritating Asgardian and ran toward him, rightly assuming he was to blame for the sudden loss of his foes. Thor tried to give the Hulk a friendly greeting; however, the dark energy from the hellmouth was pushing more and more against the thread of humanity in him. All he felt was his dislike for the demi-god. His fist knocked the Asgardian back.

All the slayers and Avengers watched the new arrival go airborne. Thor's natural reaction to any challenge was to react with equal aggression. He flew toward the Hulk and knocked him back with his hammer.

The slayers ran out of the way as the battle between Thor and Hulk raged on.

"Umm, wow! Is this supposed to happen?" Buffy asked Tony. "I thought you guys were all friends?"

"We are," Tony said. "Thor is the only opponent the Hulk has never been able to defeat. I guess he's still mad about that."

They watched as the Hulk managed to separate Thor from his hammer.

"Is his power in his hammer?" Faith asked.

"It gives him a distinct advantage," Nick replied. "But he's still impervious without it. I believe he's been fighting for his father's kingdom for more years than known human existence."

They watched as the Hulk tried in vain to pick up the hammer. His inability to do so caused his anger to increase.

"Why can't the Hulk pick up the hammer? He should be strong enough," Buffy said.

"I don't think his hammer is like yours," Xander said.

"His hammer is enchanted by his father Odin's magic," Tony explained. "Only someone worthy can wield it."

"Oh, so it's not something only Thor can touch?" Buffy asked, fascinated by the weapon. Her hands were itching to wield it.

"The Hulk is made up of pure rage, so he would not be considered a good candidate," Tony said. "Besides, Thor is a bit possessive of the thing."

Thor used his fist to hit the Hulk, knocking him away from his hammer.

"He's still pretty tough without it," Xander said, impressed with the fighting display.

The hellmouth, however, was not responding well to the new battle. Buffy and Faith quickly detected some rumblings from below. "We've got to get the Hulk away from the hellmouth!" Buffy said. The ground began to shake, not from the fierce battle, but from earth tremors.

"I think an earthquake is beginning," Faith said. "Girls, stand guard!" Her slayers all braced themselves.

Buffy walked toward the Hulk. "Hey! You two need to stop it!" she yelled. The Hulk roared down at her in disapproval, but he paused in his battle to gaze down at her.

"His rage is stronger than normal," Thor observed.

"It's the effect of the hellmouth," Buffy said. All of a sudden the ground between them split open. Buffy fell down the crevice. Before she could brace herself for impact, strong arms wrapped around her. Thor flew her back to safety.

"Thanks," Buffy said, not used to being so readily rescued.

The Hulk did not appreciate his gallantry or his hands on Buffy. Taking his actions as a threat to her, the Hulk knocked Thor back away from her. Then he once again picked up Buffy, cradling her protectively. He roared at Thor as he approached.

"He seems protective toward you," Thor observed with a smile.

"You think?" Buffy replied in irritation. "Why don't you back away from him? Maybe I can get him to calm down."

Suddenly, a wave of magical energy exploded on the scene knocking everyone back. Buffy gripped the Hulk, so she didn't go flying. The Hulk jumped up to face the new threat.

Willow grinned back at them. "Hey guys! Did I miss the party?" she asked.

Nick and the Avengers all looked at her in surprise. Only the slayers and Xander seemed unimpressed with her sudden appearance.

The Hulk roared angrily at Willow and took a step toward her.

"Stop!" Buffy yelled up at him. "That's Willow! She's my friend!"

The Hulk paused in steps and frowned down at Buffy.

"Who's your new friend?" Willow asked.

"That's Thor," Buffy said, gesturing to the god standing a few feet to her right. "This here is the Hulk, normally called Dr. Banner."

"Will! Do something about the Hulk!" Xander called out. The earth tremored again.

"His presence is making the hellmouth go boinkers," Buffy explained to Willow.

"Why is he holding you? Are you injured?" Willow asked in concern.

"No. He thinks he's protecting me from Thor," Buffy said in resignation. She looked up at the Hulk. "Put me down."

"No!" he roared, surprising his audience with his ability to speak.

"Okay, Hulk. Time for you to go," Willow said. She walked closer to him and held up her hand. "Somnum!" Instantly, the Hulk feel into a deep slumber, dropping Buffy, who jumped to her feet.

Everyone watched as the Hulk changed into a normal looking male. Instantly, all the earth rumblings ceased.

Buffy let out a relieved breath. "Just in time, Will! Thanks!" she said.

"Glad to help," Willow said.

Xander walked up to hug her. "You missed all the excitement! We fought demons. Then the vamps came out," he said.

"Really? How?" Willow asked confused as she looked up at the sun.

"It was dark and stormy until Thor made it stop raining," Buffy said.

Nick exchanged a look with Clint and Natasha. A witch with this much power made them all a bit antsy. "Don't worry, sir," Natasha said. "I got a plan." She walked up to Willow and greeted her.

"Does anyone else feel as stupid as I for not simply bringing Willow along to begin with?" Tony asked dryly.

"She's your employee," Clint pointed out.

Steve laughed. The women of this century were truly remarkable.

Nick took advantage of Buffy's distraction and moved closer to Faith. "So I'd love to have you and your girls working for me," he told her with a friendly smile.

Faith snickered. "Yeah, I bet you would," she said. "I don't do politics. I don't alter what we do. That's up to Buffy and Giles. Talk to them. I fight when I'm needed. I got a lot to atone for." She smiled at Captain America. "Sir, would you mind meeting some of my girls before you leave? They're very excited to meet you."

Steve gave her a friendly smile and followed her to the group of women a few feet away.

Clint laughed. "He always gets the girls," Clint said.

"Well, Clint, I'm sure I could find you one or two," Tony said with a grin.

"Your new employees are a unique bunch," Nick said to him.

"You're telling me. Willow appeared out of nowhere. It defies the laws of nature," Tony said with a shake of his head. "I'm going to have to do some experiments."

"Don't go alienating her like you did Buffy," Nick warned. "We need allies like them. We don't need anymore enemies."

Tony remained thoughtful as he watched the girls. He moved over to rouse Bruce. "Bruce! Wake up!" he yelled down at him. He leaned down and shook his shoulders.

"He should wake up in a half hour or so," Willow said.

Nick ordered a few of his uninjured agents to secure Dr. Banner onto one of the planes.

"This has been loads of fun," Tony said to Buffy.

"Loads," she said sarcastically. "You handled yourself well. I'm impressed."

"I told you. I am Iron Man!" he said with a grin and a wink.

"Yes, where is your metal suit?" Thor asked him.

"You missed a lot," Tony said. "Can you join Pepper and I for dinner? We'll catch you up to speed. You can tell me all about how your dear brother Loki is suffering."

"My mother would not permit us to torture him no matter how well deserving," Thor said.

"Too bad," Tony said, clasping him on the back. "Do you want to ride back with us?"

"On your flimsy metal flying machine?" he said disdainfully. "I think not."

"It's not the fastest way," Willow said with a grin.

Thor regarded her with interest. "I was told that earth had no magic," he observed.

"You were told wrong," Willow said. "There's a lot of practicing witches with magic. Many demons with magic also."

"We're learning a lot since meeting these girls," Tony said to Thor.

"So we're on for dinner?" Natasha asked Willow.

"I finished my interviews for the day. Do you want to come back with me?" Willow asked her.

Natasha looked over at Clint who gave her a slight nod. "Sure," she said. She took Willow's outstretched hand.

"It was nice meeting you," Willow said to Thor. "I hope to see you again. Dawnie would love to meet you."

"That's my younger sister," Buffy explained.

"It will be my pleasure," Thor said formally.

In a blink, Willow disappeared with Natasha. "Will she be okay?" Clint asked Buffy.

"Yeah. Willow is extremely powerful," Buffy said.

"More powerful than you?" he asked.

Buffy nodded. "Yes. She can use her magic to make herself as strong as a slayer. There's not much she can't do if she puts her mind to it. However, magic is dangerous and can be addictive. Her job with Tony is a good thing," Buffy said, not explaining further.

"Glad to have you both," Tony said. "Let's go home. I can't wait to tell Pepper about today!"

Buffy smiled at his enthusiasm. "Let me say goodbye to the girls," Buffy said.

She and Xander walked over to Faith and the slayers.

Steve Rogers was blushing. There was no telling what Faith and the girls said to the poor fellow. Buffy took pity on him. "Captain, thanks so much for your help!"

"You can fight with us anytime!" Zara said, flashing him a flirtatious smile. She was ex-military and loved a man in uniform.

"Thanks for the autograph!" Meredith said. "Derrick's going to be so excited!"

"We'll make you an honorary slayer if you get tired of working for SHIELD," Faith told him with a grin.

"It'd be nice to have another man around," Robin said with a friendly smile.

"I appreciate the invitation," Steve said. "But I work for Uncle Sam. You can come join us!"

Faith laughed in appreciation at his maneuvering. She watched him walk back to his friends. "That is one fine piece of ass!" she said.

"Faith!" Buffy scolded, looking at Robin in concern.

He gave a long suffering sigh. "It's okay. She can't help it," he said.

"Sure, I can," Faith said, throwing her arms around his waist and patting his butt. "I kept my hands to myself, didn't I?"

The girls laughed as Robin frowned at her. "Should I thank you for that?" he asked.

"No thanks necessary!" Faith teased. She gave him a hard kiss. Then looked at Buffy. "So which one of those fine specimen of super hero goodness are you going to sample first?"

Buffy looked over at Clint, Steve, and Thor as if considering. "Who knows? Thor, I think, has a girlfriend," she said.

"Captain America's last girlfriend was in the 1940's before he was frozen in time," Xander said.

"Ooh, he's got a lot of pent up sexual urges just waiting for some woman to untap!" Faith said, bumping her hip against Buffy's.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Not going to happen. At least not any time soon. I got enough on my plate right now dealing with Tony and Nick Fury," she said.

"Yeah, he approached me about working for him," Faith shared.

"Already?" Buffy said in surprise. "That took him a whole five minutes!"

"He knows talent when he sees it! What can I say?" Faith replied with a wink. "Don't worry. I told him I didn't do politics. Have him talk to Giles. That'll keep him busy for a long while."

"I plan on it," Buffy said. "I don't think he'll let up until I do."

"If it'll get me closer to that hunk of a Captain, I'll work for him!" Zara said eagerly.

"You would abandon your duty here?" Faith asked.

"Of course not!" Zara said quickly.

"We'll talk about it," Buffy said. "I need to get back home. It was great seeing you girls again." She went around to hug those she knew well and speak to a few she barely knew.

A half hour later, Bruce Banner opened his eyes. He looked around and spotted Tony and others he didn't know. "What happened?" he asked.

"So many things, my friend! So many things!" Tony said with a laugh.

******_Chapter End******_

_Here ends the hellmouth adventure. I hope it lived up to your expectations! There will be a few less action packed chapters before I start my Thor storyline. Thanks so much for reading, following, and reviewing!_


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